2003 in India

Facts

• Parliament worked for 133 days in 2003.

Events

Diplomacy

• January 26 - The president of Iran, Mohammed Khatami, is the guest at the Republic Day celebration.

• April 18 - Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, at his first rally in Srinagar, makes a historic announcement of a peace initiative with Pakistan.

• May 31 - Prime Minister Vajpayee has the rare honour of joining the head table at the 300th foundation day of St. Petersburg with Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush.

• June 22 - Vajpayee is in China. India concedes that Tibet is an integral part of China. China agrees to recognise Sikkim's accession to India.

• July 14 - India refuses to send troops to Iraq.

• September 9 - Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, makes the first ever visit by an Israeli PM to India even as neighbour Pakistan raises eyebrows and Islamic countries watch silently.

• September 24 - US President George W. Bush invites Vajpayee to lunch in New York during Vajpayee's US trip. It is considered an important meet for Indo-US relations. Several deals are struck on civilian nuclear technology, space, hi-tech trade and missile defence.

• October 6 - Vajpayee visits Bali for the second time in 2 years.

• October 22 - India announces confidence-building measures with respect to Indo-Pakistani relations: more buses, flights, higher mission strength, etc.

• November 15 - Vajpayee visits Syria.

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