President Murmu leaves for six-day visit to Fiji, New Zealand, Timor-Leste

New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday left for a six-day visit to Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste.

According to officials, she will visit Fiji from August 5-7 at the invitation of its President Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere.

Murmu will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji’s Katonivere and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. She is also scheduled to address the Fijian Parliament and interact with its members, many of whom are of Indian origin.

“President Droupadi Murmu departs for her State visits to Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste. This will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Head of State to Fiji, and Timor-Leste,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan wrote on ‘X’.

Murmu will pay a State Visit to New Zealand on August 8 and 9 at the invitation of the island nation’s Governor-General Cindy Kiro, officials said.

This will be the first presidential visit to New Zealand from India after eight years.

Besides a bilateral meeting with the governor-general, Murmu will have a meeting with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of New Zealand who visited India in March.

New Zealand Governor-General Kiro will host a banquet in honour of President Murmu’s visit.

Murmu will then visit the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on August 10 where she will have a bilateral meeting with President Horta and interact with members of the Indian community.