List of international prime ministerial trips made by Indira Gandhi

The following is a list of international prime ministerial trips made by Indira Gandhi during her tenure as the Prime Minister of India from January 1966 to March 1977, and again from January 1980 to October 1984. The first overseas visit was a stopover to France on her way to the United States in March 1966.

Summary of international trips

In her sixteen-year long tenure as the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi made 52 international trips, visiting 69 countries, including visits to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

+Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's visits by countryNumber of visitsCountry1 visit (46) Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, Fiji, Finland, Greece, Guyana, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Mozambique, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Sikkim, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela, West Germany, Zimbabwe2 visits (14) Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Bhutan, Bulgaria, Burma, Cyprus, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Nepal, Romania, Tanzania, Zambia3 visits (4) Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, United Arab Republic 5 visits (3) France, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia6 visits (1) United States9 visits (1) Soviet Union

1966 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes1Paris25–26 March Stop-over in Paris on her way to Washington. Met President de Gaulle at the Elysee Palace and Prime Minister Pompidou.Williamsburg, New York City 27 March–1 April Official visitMet President Johnson at the White House.London 2 April Brief stop-over in London. Met PM Wilson.Moscow3 April Stopped for a day in Moscow. Met Chairman Alexei Kosygin.2Cairo8–9 July Met President Gamal Abdel Nasser at the Koubbeh Palace in Cairo.Report 1966-67, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of IndiaBrijuni10–11 July Met President Josip Broz Tito at his retreat villa in the Brioni Islands in the Adriatic Sea.Moscow12–16 July 3Kathmandu4–7 October

1967 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes4Colombo18–21 September Goodwill visit5Warsaw8–11 October Official VisitBelgrade11–13 October Official VisitWelcomed at the airport by President Tito. Sofia13–16 October Official VisitFirst visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Bulgaria. Welcomed at the airport by General Secretary Todor Zhivkov.Bucharest16–19 October Official VisitMet with General Secretary Nicolae Ceauşescu. 19–21 October 6Moscow6–8 November 50th Anniversary of the October RevolutionAttended the October Revolution Parade.

1968 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes73–5 May 5–6 May820–21 May Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne21–27 MayOfficial VisitFirst visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Australia. Visited the Australian War Memorial. Attended a luncheon hosted in her honor by Prime Minister John Gorton at Parliament House, Canberra. Visited the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. Attended a dinner hosted in her honor at the University of Melbourne by Chancellor of the university and former PM Robert Menzies. Given the ideological differences and divergence of strategic interests between India and Australia at that time, it was reported that the visit was high on pageantry but devoid of much substance.Wellington27–29 MayOfficial VisitFirst visit by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand. Attended a luncheon hosted in her honor at Parliament House, Wellington. Visited the Dominion Museum.Kuala Lumpur29 May–1 JuneRangoon1 JuneStop-over923–27 September During this South American tour, there was also a plan to visit Peru, which had to be cancelled due to the 1968 Peruvian coup d'état, which happened just before PM Gandhi was about to arrive in Lima. Montevideo27–28 September Buenos Aires29– SeptemberSantiago8– OctoberBogotáCaracas10–11 OctoberPort of Spain11–12 October 12–13 OctoberNew York City14 October United Nations General Assembly

1969 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)Purpose Notes10London7–10 January Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference11Rangoon27–30 March Met with the Chairman of the Revolutionary Council of Burma General Ne Win.12Kabul5–10 June 1323–28 June 28 June–3 July State visit3 July Stop-over

1970 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes14Port Louis, Saint Pierre2–6 June State visit15Lusaka8–10 September 3rd Summit of the Non-aligned MovementNairobiSeptember 16Moscow20 October Made a brief stop-over in Moscow en-route to the UNGA. New York City21–25 October United Nations General AssemblySpecial UN General Assembly Session celebrating the 25th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter.Cairo26 October Eight hour visit, partially in personal capacity owing to the recent death of President Gamal Abdel Nasser.17Paris12 November Funeral of Charles de Gaulle

1971 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes1827–29 September 19Beirut24 October Made a brief halt in Beirut on her way to Europe.24–25 October October–November London28 October–3 November Washington DC, New York City3–6 November Official visit 7–10 November Bonn10–12 November

1972 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes2017–19 March 2113–17 June Official visit17–20 June Budapest20–23 June 22Kurjey Lhakhang28 October Cremation of King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck

1973 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes23Kathmandu7–10 FebruaryGoodwill visit2427–29 AprilOfficial visit2515–17 June 17–25 June Eight day visit, during which she addressed the Parliament of Canada. London25 June On her way back from Canada, made a stopover in London. Held discussions with PM Heath.26Algiers5–9 September 4th Summit of the Non-aligned Movement

1974 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes27Tehran28 April–2 May Official visit

1975 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes2812–14 JanuaryOfficial visit2918–21 JanuaryOfficial visit30Kingston29 April–2 May1975 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

1976 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes31Moscow, Yerevan, Tbilisi8–13 June First overseas visit since declaration of Emergency in June 1975.32East Berlin1–4 July 4–7 July 33ColomboAugust 5th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement348–11 October Dar-es-Salaam11–13 October Official visitWelcomed by Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, Prime Minister Rashidi Kawawa and First Vice-President Aboud Jumbe.Lusaka14–17 October Received by President Kenneth Kaunda.17 October

1980 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes35Dar-es-Salaam, Tanga16–17 AprilReceived by President Julius Nyerere.Salisbury18 April Zimbabwean Independence celebration368 May Funeral of President Josip Tito

1981 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes37Nicosia? Larnaca?MayShort technical stop-overMet with President of Cyprus Spyros Kyprianou. Geneva6 May 34th World Health AssemblyAttended WHO 34th World Health Assembly. Met with ICRC President Alexandre Hay.May May 389 AugustTransit stop-overMet with President of Seychelles France-Albert René.Nairobi9–12 August UN Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy PM Gandhi delivered keynote address at the conference. Met Canadian PM.39Jakarta23–24 SeptemberWelcomed by President Suharto at the airport.SeptemberFirst visit by an Indian Prime Minister.Suva, Deuba26 SeptemberFirst visit by an Indian Prime Minister.Melbourne29 September–7 OctoberCommonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1981Manila8–10 OctoberOfficial visit First visit by an Indian Prime Minister. Greeted by President Fedinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Marcos at the airport.4018–20 OctoberOfficial visitCancun21–23 OctoberNorth–South SummitOn October 21, met US President Reagan (for the first time), Chinese Prime Minister Zhao Ziyang and President Sergej Kraigher of Yugoslavia.41Rome9–12 NovemberOfficial visitFirst visit by an Indian Prime Minister. Attended a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giovanni Spadolini. Spoke at the 21st biennial conference of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Went shopping in the center of Rome. 9 NovemberPersonal visitMet Pope John Paul II accompanied by daughters-in-law Sonia Gandhi and Maneka Gandhi.Paris13– NovemberMet President François Mitterrand and PM Pierre Mauroy.421981

1982 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes43London21–26 March Inauguration of the Festival of India44Riyadh18–21 AprilOfficial VisitFirst visit by an Indian PM in 26 years (since 1956). Met with King Khalid.45New York City, Los Angeles, Honolulu27 July–4 AugustState visitTokyo5 August 4623–25 August Maputo26–27 August47Moscow, Star City, Tallinn, Kiev19–28 (20–26?)SeptemberState visit In Star City, visited facilities where Indian astronauts Rakesh Sharma and Ravish Malhotra were training.48Moscow15 November Funeral of Leonid Brezhnev

1983 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes49Oslo 1– June8–9 JuneOfficial visitHelsinki10 June17–22 June 5020–22 September Athens, Delphi22–24 SeptemberParisSeptember 1983On her way to New York. Gandhi made a stop over in Paris.New York CitySeptember 198338th UN General Assembly

1984 CountryAreas visitedDate(s)PurposeNotes51Moscow February 1984Funeral of Yuri Andropov52April 1984April 1984

See also List of international trips made by prime ministers of India History of Indian foreign relations

References

External links Outgoing Visits – by Ministry of External Affairs Nonresident Prime Ministers? Measuring India’s Foreign Policy Orientation via Leadership Travel by Sumitha Narayanan Kutty and Walter C. Ladwig III