NEW DELHI: Heckled in the India media for her record number of ‘official' visits abroad, India's first woman president Pratibha Patil's secretariat has claimed that her visits were in sync with India's “growing global profile” which requires “more engagement with nations through State visits.” Patil, who was elected as the country's first woman president in 2007 has been subtly accused of wanderlust by a large section of the Indian media, which had over the last few days published stories of how Patil's penchant for travel abroad had cost the exchequer over $ 40 million. Media reports had said that Patil has undertaken 12 foreign trips which spanned across 22 countries across four continents spread over 79 days. The countries which Patil had visited are Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Bhutan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Spain, Poland, Russia, Tajikistan, the UK, Cyprus, China, Laos, Cambodia, the UAE, Syria, Mauritius, South Korea, SwitzerlandAustria, etc. The president's office in its clarification said that the reports were “potentially misleading.” “The rising global profile of India on account of its dynamic economy, strategic importance, democratic governance and ancient civilizational links has led to enhanced engagements with countries across the world. As part of these engagements, it is necessary for the President of India to visit various countries to deepen bilateral cooperation,” the statement says. The statement further states that the President`s visit to Latin American countries emphasized the growing importance attached to this region, where a Presidential visit had not taken place for almost a decade. “Many countries had to be visited since those countries had been pressing for a visit at the level of Head of State like Indonesia, Cyprus, Laos, Cambodia and Mongolia. Some of the countries which the President visited such as Syria, Tajikistan and Spain saw the first ever visit by an Indian President,” it reads. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/O2h4W Tags: featured, India, Patil Section: Latest News, South Asia, Women
