The issue of cross-border terrorism is expected to resonate during Vice President Hamid Ansari's visit to Hungary and Algeria, which will commence on Saturday.
Secretary(west) Sujata Mehta said that terrorism would be a major theme of discussion in bilateral meetings with leaders of the two countries.
"Absolutely. I am confident that this will be a major theme that he will touch upon in all his bilateral meetings," Mehta said, when asked if the vice president will discuss the issue of cross border terrorism in his bilateral engagements during the visit.
She recalled that the Uri attacks figured prominently in his statements delivered at bilateral meetings, including the recent NAM summit in Venezuela.
Algeria, a member of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation), has been fighting against a web of inter-linked terror groups for more than a decade, she said. "At the highest level, there is bound to be focus on the absolute requirement to fight terrorism," Mehta said.
In Hungary, Ansari, apart from his meetings with the President, the Prime Minister and Speaker of the National Assembly, will meet students and academicians. He will visit a town that is famous for its Rabindranath Tagore connection and will also be meeting members of the Indian community.
The visit to Algeria will be an effort to further India's interests in the rich oil and petroleum reserves that the North African country boasts of, along with investments in fertiliser production to meet India's needs.
He will arrive at Budapest on October 15 and will be in Hungary till October 17. The next stop in his two nation trip will be the Algerian capital Algiers, where he will reach on October 17. He will head back to India on October 19.
