President Droupadi Murmu, during her visit to Portugal, praised Indian researchers in Lisbon and held talks to boost India-Portugal ties. Meanwhile, Bangladesh partners NASA’s Artemis Accords, promoting peaceful space exploration.
President Droupadi Murmu said today that Indians do not want to conquer countries; they want to conquer hearts. President Murmu stated this while interacting with Indian scholars doing research at Champalimaud Centre Lisbon in, Portugal today. President Murmu called the researchers hailing from India who are working at the Centre as flag bearers of the country. She said, they have made a significant contribution in enhancing India’s pride.
Earlier, on the second and concluding day of her visit to the southern European country, President Murmu held talks with the Speaker of the Assembly of Portugal, Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco. The External Affairs Ministry said that talks between the two leaders were productive, with both sides discussing ways to fortify bilateral relations. President Murmu also interacted with members of Parliament, besides meeting with members of the India-Portugal Parliamentary Friendship Group.
President Murmu reached Lisbon yesterday on the first leg of her state visit to Portugal and Slovakia. She held delegation-level talks with her Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in Lisbon on the first day of her visit.
Bangladesh inks ‘Artemis Accords’ with NASA on non-military space exploration
Bangladesh has inked the ‘Artemis Accords’ as the 54th country with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), focused on non-military space exploration.
The Artemis Accords, established in October 2020, are a set of non-binding agreements designed to promote peaceful and cooperative civil exploration of outer space.
In the presence of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun and US Embassy in Dhaka Chargé d’Affaires Tracey Ann Jacobson, Bangladesh Defence Secretary Md Ashraf Uddin inked the accords.
As of January 21, 2025, 53 countries have signed the accords, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, India, United Arab Emirates, Australia and several European and Latin American countries. By signing the Accords, Bangladesh will be a part of prestigious international space alliances, Chowdhury Ashik mentioned.
He said Bangladesh will be greatly benefited in terms of technology transfer, economic cooperation, and scientific collaboration through the accords.
It will open the window to cooperation and collaboration between the Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation (SPARRSO) and NASA and will enhance the current capacity of SPARRSO to accelerate the space mission, he added.
