New Delhi: The visit by Dominican Republic Vice President, Raquel Pena Rodriguez to India further bolstered the bilateral relationship between the two nations, which recently celebrated 25 years of diplomatic ties, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Rodriguez was on a visit to India from October 3-5 at the invitation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

"At the invitation of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Raquel Pena Rodriguez, Vice President of the Dominican Republic paid an official visit to India from 03-05 October 2023. She was accompanied by senior officials of the Government of Dominican Republic. This was the first ever visit of the Vice President of the Dominican Republic to India," the MEA statement read.

On October 3, Vice President Rodriguez called on the President Droupadi Murmu. She also held a meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, at the New Parliament House.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the Vice President Rodriguez during her stay in Delhi. She also visited Rajghat and paid floral tributes.

On October 4, Vice President Rodriguez met her Indian counterpart Jagdeep Dhankhar. Both leaders held wide-ranging discussions and reviewed their bilateral relations covering political, defence, economic, cultural, education and developmental cooperation. They also discussed cooperation in multilateral fora and international issues of mutual interest. A Joint Press Release was issued following the conclusion of the meeting.

Rodriguez also delivered the 45th Sapru House Lecture on 'The Dominican Republic and India: Natural Partners' at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). She also visited IIT Delhi where she witnessed the signing of a MoU between IIT-Delhi and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Dominican Republic. She visited Agra on October 5.

"This visit by Vice President Rodriguez provides a strong impetus to the growing ties between India and Dominican Republic and underscores the importance given by both sides in adding further momentum to the bilateral relations, as both sides commemorate the 25th year of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2024," the MEA added in the statement.