President Murmu received Paraguay`s counterpart, Santiago Pena Palacios, at Rashtrapati Bhavan and hosted a banquet in his honour on Monday. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, his wife, Sudesh Dhankhar, and other dignitaries attended the banquet

In her remarks at the banquet on Monday, President Murmu said, "I would like to thank you for your government`s strong condemnation of the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam and for expressing your deep condolences and solidarity with the people of India and with those who lost their loved ones. India believes in the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which means the world is one family. Guided by this principle, India has been working with all like-minded countries to advance the cause and progress and development for all humanity"

"In this endeavour, Paraguay has been a consistent supporter and collaborator for India in several multilateral international fora. We are grateful for your continued support in India`s effort to combat the menace of terrorism, to promote the interests and voices of the Global South, and to ensure a safe, peaceful, and sustainable future for our coming generations," she added

Welcoming Paraguay President to Rashtrapati Bhavan, she said, "It gives me great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to His Excellency President Pena and a distinguished delegation from Paraguay at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on their first state visit to India. This is a historic occasion. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries in 1961, this marks only the second visit to India by a President of Paraguay"

She emphasised that the two nations share "warm and friendly relations" based on mutual trust, democratic values and a shared commitment to the progress and development of the people of the two nations