Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday presented South Korean President Park Geun-Hye two finely woven pashmina stoles on which a poem that Rabindranath Tagore had written specially for Korea was hand embroidered in English and Korean.
Tagore’s poem was was published in 1929 in the Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo. The text is as follows:
In the golden age of Asia
Korea was one of its lamp bearers
And that lamp is waiting
To be lighted once again
For the illumination of the East
Taweeting about it PM Modi wrote: "Presented President Park Geun-hye two finely woven pashmina stoles in which Rabindranath Tagore's poem for Korea is hand embroidered. The poem Gurudev Tagore specially wrote for Korea is hand embroidered in English and Korean."
Presented President Park Geun-hye two finely woven pashmina stoles in which Rabindranath Tagore's poem for Korea is hand embroidered.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 18, 2015
The poem Gurudev Tagore specially wrote for Korea is hand embroidered in English and Korean. http://t.co/XNOGkDxyMY pic.twitter.com/aLZMxM2qFY
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 18, 2015
Meanwhile, India and South Korea today agreed to upgrade their ties to 'Special Strategic Partnership' and deepen cooperation in defence sector as the two sides signed seven agreements including on avoidance of double taxation.
PM Modi, who arrived here today from Mongolia on the last leg of his three-nation tour, held wide-ranging talks with Geun-hye at Cheong Wae Dae, the office and residence of the President.
"We have agreed to upgrade the bilateral relationship to 'Special Strategic Partnership'," Modi said at a joint press interaction with President Park after their "excellent" talks.
"We have laid the foundation for a relationship that two major Asian countries with shared values should have," he said, adding that decisions made today reflect how seriously the two countries take the new framework of the relationship, as per PTI.
Noting that India considers South Korea a "crucial partner" in its economic modernisation, Modi said South Korea can be a leading partner in India's efforts to develop a world class manufacturing sector.
"Our relationship started with a strong economic emphasis. But, it has also now become strategic in content," the Prime Minister said.
Modi said South Korea is the second country (after Japan) with which India will have a diplomatic and security dialogue in 2+2 format, referring to a bilateral dialogue process involving the foreign and defence ministers of the two sides.
Stating that the national security councils of the two sides will have regular cooperation, Modi said the two nations have agreed to expand cooperation between their armed forces.
(With PTI inputs)
