Indian President Pranab Mukherjee will visit Belgium from October 2-5, following an invitation from King Philippe of Belgium, and Turkey, from October 5-7, following an invitation from the President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül. President Mukherjee will be accompanied by a high level delegation comprising ministers – including the Indian Minister for Shipping, G. K. Vasan, and a group of Members of Parliament comprising Priya Dutt, Deepender Singh Hooda, Zafar Ali Naqvi, Baishnab Charan Parida and Prabhakar Kore – senior officials and senior representatives of Indian academic institutions.
During his three-day stay in Belgium, President Pranab Mukherjee & King Philippe will inaugurate the ‘Europalia-India 2013-14,’ a cultural event showcasing India.
He will then proceed to Turkey, where he will hold meetings with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gül, and is also expected to meet other high-level ministers. In his meetings in Turkey, he is expected to discuss the situation in Afghanistan post the 2014 withdrawal of Western forces.
This will be the first visit by an Indian President to Belgium, and the third to Turkey.