President Murmu Receives Grand Welcome ‘Reflecting Depth Of Friendship’ In Botswana I Video

President Droupadi Murmu was accorded a 21-gun salute and a guard of honour and later witnessed a performance by the traditional dance troupe at the airport. (Rashtrapati Bhavan/X)

President Droupadi Murmu reached Botswana on Tuesday as part of her six-day two-nation visit to Africa. The visit aims to strengthen bilateral ties and signing agreement on translocation of eight Kalahari desert cheetahs to India.

Murmu’s arrival in Botswana marks the first-ever state visit by an Indian head of state to the country.

According to PTI, Murmu, who took off from Angola’s capital Luanda early in the day, arrived at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Botswana’s capital Gaborone, and was given a ceremonial welcome by President Duma Gideon Boko. She was accorded a 21-gun salute and a guard of honour and later witnessed a performance by the traditional dance troupe at the airport.

In a post on X, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said, “In the final leg of her two-nation visit to Africa, President Droupadi Murmu landed at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, Gaborone, Botswana. This is the first-ever State Visit of an Indian Head of State to Botswana. In a special gesture reflecting the depth of India-Botswana friendship, she was warmly received upon arrival at the airport by H.E. Advocate Duma Gideon Boko, the President of Botswana, and accorded a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour.”

During her visit to Botswana, Murmu will be holding delegation-level talks with President Boko, and senior officials from both sides will exchange some Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) aimed at enhancing bilateral ties.

She will also address the Parliamentarians of the National Assembly of Botswana on Wednesday.

According to PTI, Botswana and Indian Presidents will preside over an event where eight captured cheetahs will be released into a quarantine facility at the Mokolodi nature reserve, marking the symbolic handing over of the hunting cats to India by Botswana as part of Project Cheetah and under a mutual initiative for wildlife conservation. The cheetahs belong to the Ghanzi town located in the Kalahari desert.

Murmu will also likely meet the Indian community here.

During her visit to Angola’s capital Luanda, Murmu assured that there were “unlimited” possibilities to strengthen bilateral relations in various sectors, including energy security, diamond processing, agriculture, petroleum refining, and critical minerals exploration.

Murmu will depart for Delhi on Thursday.