Guwahati:External Affairs minister S Jaishankar and Heads of Missions of 61 countries took elephant and jeep safari ride in the Kaziranga National Park on Monday morning, officials said. The envoys had arrived in Jorhat along with the External Affairs minister on Sunday night and arrived at Kaziranga, famed for its one-horned rhinoceros, early this morning.
The ambassadors first took the elephant safari inside the Park's central range at Kohora with Jaishankar riding the famed elephant Pradyumna. After the elephant safari, they took the jeep safari inside the park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Jaishankar and some of the envoys were seen feeding the elephants after the safari.
Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, Kaziranga Lok Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Kaziranga National Park director Sonali Ghosh and DFO Arun Vignesh accompanied the guests during the safari.
Jaishankar along with the ambassadors will leave for Guwahati later in the day to witness the Jhumoir dance performance by nearly 9,000 artistes in the evening where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be present. The heads of missions will also attend the inaugural session of the Advantage Assam 2.0 Infrastructure and Investment Summit on Tuesday.
''A historic visit! Last night, Hon'ble External Affairs Minister Shri@DrSJaishankar landed in Jorhat with over 50 Heads of Missions on a historic visit to Assam. This will open up the doors of intensified foreign collaboration in the state. A warm welcome to all!'', Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on 'X'.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar feeds an elephant during an early morning safari at Kaziranga National Park, Assam. (PTI)