Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on three-nation tour to France, UAE and Bahrain seeking to boost ties across regions, will continue with the programme because of the demise of Arun jaitley, sources said. Modi will continue with his planned programme, sources said here. Following demise of former Union Minister and senior BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley on Saturday, Modi spoke to his wife Sangeeta as well as son Rohan and expressed his condolences.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay tributes to the departed leader on behalf of the Prime Minister, the sources added. In a tweet, he said ”Arun Jaitley Ji was a political giant, towering intellectual and legal luminary. He was an articulate leader who made a lasting contribution to India. His passing away is very saddening. Spoke to his wife Sangeeta Ji as well as son Rohan, and expressed condolences. Om Shanti.
”Modi was conferred UAE’s highest civilian award ‘Order of Zayed’ by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday. The award, which is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, acquires special significance as it is being awarded to Mr Modi in the birth centenary year of Sheikh Zayed.
”Humbled to be conferred the ‘Order of Zayed’ a short while ago. More than an individual, this award is for India’s cultural ethos and is dedicated to 130 crore Indians.
”I thank the UAE Government for this honour,” Mr Modi wrote in a tweet. Modi travelled to Gulf – UAE and Bahrain on Friday and would be again back in France for the G-7 Summit that would be held on August 25 and 26 at Biarritz. During the Summit, Prime Minister is expected to speak in Sessions on Environment, Climate, Oceans and Digital Transformation.
On the sidelines, the Prime Minister is expected to have bilateral meetings with leaders of other countries. In Paris Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron held a more than 90-minute long one-on-one meeting at the historic Château de Chantilly and reviewed the entire gamut of the dynamic and multifaceted relationship and discussed possible measures to further boost the strategic partnership. Both the leaders also spoke about supply of Rafale combat aircraft.
Modi has said ”My visit to France has been a successful one. We have discussed numerous issues, that would strengthen relations in existing sectors and enhance cooperation in newer areas. I thank the people and Government of France for their hospitality. ”Modi on Thursday emplaned for Paris for the first leg of his three-nation visit to France, the UAE and Bahrain from August 22 to 26. (UNI)
