Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top leaders of Caribbean countries on the sidelines of the India-CARICOM Summit here and discussed strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation in several key areas. The Prime Minister arrived in Guyana this morning. This is the first visit by an Indian head of state to Guyana in more than 50 years. He met leaders of Caribbean partner countries on the sidelines of the second India-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit on Wednesday.
Modi said in a post on ‘X’, “Had a very good meeting with the President of Guyana, Dr. Mohammed Irfan Ali. The President himself has close relations with India.” The two leaders reviewed bilateral development cooperation in areas such as skill development, capacity building, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, education and energy. He said, “India will always be a reliable partner for Guyana in infrastructure, shipping, technology and other sectors.”
He described the Caribbean nation’s support for initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the Global Biofuels Coalition as “remarkable”. He also met Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. “At the meeting, the Prime Minister of Barbados appreciated Prime Minister Modi’s leadership and commitment to India-Barbados relations in supporting the country during the COVID-19 pandemic and conferred the Honorary Order of Announces his Government’s decision to confer the ‘Freedom of Barbados’ Award.” This award will be presented on November 30 in Barbados.
The ministry said, “This high-level meeting provided an opportunity for the two leaders to rejuvenate and strengthen India-Barbados relations, and also review the ongoing cooperation in a number of key areas including health and pharma and cooperation in the United Nations.” .”
Prime Minister Modi also met his Bahamas counterpart Philip Davis and held “fruitful” discussions focusing on strengthening economic ties, climate change action and green partnership. “The leaders also exchanged views on the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a post on ‘X’. On the sidelines of the India-CARICOM summit, Modi also met Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley.
He congratulated Dr. Rolle for adopting India’s leading ‘UPI platform’. “The leaders discussed ways to strengthen ties in the areas of digital transformation, health, defense and maritime security, transport and cultural exchange,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a separate post. In the presence of the two leaders, a Memorandum of Understanding was also exchanged for setting up integrated automated fruit and vegetable primary processing activities in Trinidad and Tobago.
Modi also met Suriname President Chan Santokhi and the two leaders reviewed the progress of the bilateral partnership and stressed the importance of strengthening economic cooperation. The Ministry of External Affairs said, “They discussed bilateral issues including defense and security, trade and commerce, agriculture, UPI, ICT, healthcare, traditional medicine and pharmaceuticals, capacity building, human resource development, cultural and people-to-people engagement as well as digital initiatives.” “Agreed to expand cooperation.”
The Prime Minister also met his Dominica counterpart Roosevelt Skerrit, whom he thanked for conferring the country’s highest award. Dominica presented its top award to Modi in recognition of his contributions to the Caribbean nation during the COVID-19 pandemic and his dedication to enhancing the bilateral partnership. The External Affairs Ministry said, “The leaders explored opportunities for cooperation in areas such as climate resilience, healthcare, capacity building and deepening people-to-people ties. They also discussed cooperation in the United Nations.”
Modi also held a meeting with Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne. “The Prime Minister congratulated Prime Minister Brown for successfully hosting the 4th SIDS (Small Island Developing States) Summit. Prime Minister Brown appreciated the seven-pillar CARICOM plan presented by the Prime Minister at the summit,” the ministry said in a post on ‘X’. The leaders exchanged views on issues of trade and investment, capacity building for SIDS and climate change action. Prime Minister Browne announced India’s support for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.
The Prime Minister also met Prime Minister of St. Lucia Philippe J. Pierre on the sidelines of the summit. The Ministry of External Affairs said, “Both sides exchanged views on cooperation in the fields of capacity building, education, health, cricket and yoga and stressed the need to further strengthen India-Saint Lucia bilateral relations.” During the India-CARICOM Summit, the Prime Minister proposed seven key pillars to strengthen relations between India and the Caribbean community and said that India is committed to taking these relations to new heights.
(This news has not been edited by NDTV team. It is published directly from the syndicate feed.)
