Brasilia, July 9 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed gratitude to the people of Brazil, its government and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for being conferred with the highest national honour — ‘The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross’. The Prime Minister expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the President, the government, and the people of Brazil for the distinguished honour, an official said.

Accepting the award, PM Modi noted that the honour was a tribute to the 1.4 billion people of India, and to the enduring bonds of friendship between India and Brazil.

He further stated that President Lula was the architect of India-Brazil Strategic Partnership, and the award was as much an honour to his untiring efforts to take the bilateral ties to greater heights, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Taking to X, Prime Minister Modi wrote: “I’m honoured to have been conferred ‘The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross.’ Gratitude to President Lula, the Government and the people of Brazil. This illustrates the strong affection the people of Brazil have for the people of India. May our friendship scale even newer heights of success in the times to come.”

Brazil conferred its highest honour, the Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross, on PM Modi during his ongoing State Visit to the country on Tuesday.

The award was the 26th global honour for PM Modi and the third on his current five-nation visit, which kicked off on July 2.

Prime Minister Modi on Friday became the first foreign leader to be conferred with ‘The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago’, the highest civilian award of the Caribbean nation, during his two-day visit to Port of Spain.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamala Persad Bissessar, while delivering glowing praise for the Indian PM, mentioned that the honour is being bestowed in recognition of his global leadership, deep ties with the Indian diaspora, and his humanitarian efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi was conferred the ‘Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’, the country’s national honour in recognition of his “distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership” by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama in Accra, just before arriving in Trinidad.

The awards, analysts reckoned, underline PM Modi’s unmatched stature – no Prime Minister of India has ever had such a profound global impact, they assert, as a global statesman who remains committed to regional peace, development, and spiritual diplomacy.

In June, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides conferred upon Prime Minister Modi Cyprus’s honour – the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III – at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia.

Earlier this year, Mauritius and Sri Lanka conferred their highest civilian honours upon PM Modi.

In April, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake conferred Prime Minister Modi with ‘Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana’, the island nation’s highest civilian honour for Heads of State and Government in a grand recognition of the Indian leader’s efforts to strengthen the ties between the two neighbouring nations.

The conferring of the award was regarded as a powerful symbol of shared destinies, spiritual kinship, and a vision for progress rooted in mutual respect and trust between the two countries.

In March, during the National Day celebrations in Port Louis, Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhool also conferred the ‘Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean’ (GCSK) award, the highest civilian award of Mauritius, on Prime Minister Modi. This was the first time that an Indian leader received the honour.

Also, on Tuesday, PM Modi was given a warm welcome by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia as he began a State Visit to the country following his participation in the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

–IANS

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