New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday congratulated Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei and the people of the country for their Independence Day.

"Congratulations to FM Vladimir Makei and the Government and people of Belarus on their Independence Day," the foreign Minister tweeted today.

India's relations with Belarus have been traditionally warm and cordial. India was

one of the first countries to recognize Belarus as an independent country in 1991. Formal diplomatic relations were established and the Indian diplomatic mission in Minsk was opened in 1992 and Belarus opened its Mission in New Delhi in 1998.

The Philippines

Yesterday, Jaishankar congratulated the Philippines Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo on being appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said that he is looking forward to working closely with the new Secretary to further strengthen the India-Philippines partnership.

"Congratulate Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo on his appointment as Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. Look forward to working closely with him to further strengthen the India-Philippines partnership," EAM tweeted.

Earlier on Friday, Philippines Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary, Rose Beatrix Cruz-Angeles confirmed that Manalo was appointed as the new Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Manalo, the Philippines' former Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), flew in from New York to take his oath before Marcos in Malacanang Friday, The Manila Times reported.

Manalo earlier served in the foreign service for nearly four years and joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1979.

He is the son of the late Ambassador Armando Manalo and Rosario Manalo, the former ambassador to Belgium and political adviser of the Philippine mission to the United Nations, The Manila Times reported.

Before his appointment as Foreign Affairs secretary, Manalo was the DFA's undersecretary for policy, his second stint in the same position, which he first held from 2007 to 2010.