Celebration of the 56th Anniversary of the Constitution of India Words of H.E. Deepak Bhojwani, Ambassador of India to Venezuela: Excellency, Distinguished Ambassadors and Representatives of different countries assembled here, Distinguished Representatives of the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends, The Embassy of India and I personally are grateful to you for your presence here today to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the Constitution of India, an event which introduced our ancient civilization into the modern world. India commenced its national journey aware of several contradictions but, above all, conscious of the need to ensure that its vast and varied population integrate itself into a force for peace, stability and prosperity. Today, we have come a long way from those early days and have proved that democracy can thrive in a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-ethnic society. We are also grateful for the friendships that have been bestowed upon us across the world at large, and today's event in distant Venezuela is evidence of this fact. Excellency, 2005 was a significant year in our bilateral relationship, with the visit of President Hugo Chavez Frias to India being the most significant of a series of bilateral exchanges of a political and economic nature. The seeds that have been sown as a result of these visits should yield fruits in the coming years, but already I can assure you that the Government of India looks upon Venezuela as a leading collaborator in its effort to establish a lasting and substantive partnership with Latin America . The complementarities that exist between India and Venezuela go beyond mere natural resources. Our professionals, academicians, artists and people from all walks of life have much in common and much to offer each other. Last year India welcomed a significant number of Venezuelans who traveled to India for tourism, business and for technical and other professional courses. We expect to increase the number this year. We also depend upon the active goodwill and extremely positive attitude of the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to convert what are today extremely progressive ideas into bilateral agreements so that we can help each other in our common endeavour to develop our economies and simultaneously achieve a better understanding between both our cultures. Excellency, I thank you again for your presence here, and indeed all of you who have honoured us with your attendance and wish you all a successful year. * * *
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