Last updated:
Modi made the comments on Wednesday when he joined leaders from Caribbean partner countries for the second India-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Summit here.
The prime minister arrived in Guyana earlier in the day – the first visit by an Indian head of state in more than 50 years. (Photo: X @narendramodi)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed seven “key pillars” to strengthen ties between India and the Caribbean Community, stressing that New Delhi is “fully committed” to taking the relationship to a new level.
Modi made the comments on Wednesday when he joined leaders from Caribbean partner countries for the second India-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Summit here.
The prime minister arrived in Guyana earlier in the day – the first visit by an Indian head of state in more than 50 years.
“PM @narendramodi chaired the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit, along with PM Dickon Mitchell of Grenada, the current CARICOM chairman,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a post on X.
Leaders at the summit discussed ways to strengthen ties in areas such as economic cooperation, agriculture and food security, health and pharmaceuticals, and science and innovation.
During the summit, Prime Minister Modi proposed seven key pillars to strengthen the relationship between India and CARICOM.
The pillars listed by Modi also form the acronym CARICOM. They are Capacity Building, Agriculture and Food Security, Renewable Energy and Climate Change, Innovation, Technology and Trade, Cricket and Culture, Ocean Economy and Medicine and Healthcare.
Asserting that the relationship between India and the CARICOM countries is based on “our shared past, our present needs and our shared aspirations for the future”, Modi said, “India is committed to taking these relations to a new level.” “In all our efforts, we have focused on the concerns of the Global South and their priorities,” he said, according to a statement from the MEA.
Modi said, “To promote the five Ts – trade, technology, tourism, talent and tradition, an online portal can be created to connect the private sector and all stakeholders of the country.” “India is progressing in the SME sector (small and medium enterprises). During the India-CARICOM meeting last year, we announced a grant of one million dollars for the SME sector. We need to focus on implementation now,” he added.
Prime Minister Modi said, “We will also be able to build a forensic center for the CARICOM region. In India, we have created the iGOT Karmayogi portal to build constant ‘capacity’ for civil servants. This portal has online courses on technology, administration, law and education Portal that they can be made for the CARICOM countries. In his closing speech, the prime minister said, “I am happy that India and all CARICOM friends agree that reforms are necessary in the global institutions.” This is the need of the hour. In order to make it a reality, close cooperation with CARICOM and CARICOM’s support is essential,” he added. The CARICOM Heads of Government and the Prime Minister last met in 2019 on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where they discussed the modalities of cooperation in energy renewables and climate change through a $150 million credit line from India.
During the summit, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali said, “(I want to) thank you and the Indian people for your selfless nature when you sent the first vaccine to this region during the COVID pandemic.” Ali also said, “India has an influential voice in the international community. You launched an instrument from the Global South. Your new leadership of the G20… underlines your commitment to advance the aspirations of the Global South.” “We commend India’s continued commitment to sustainable regional development, especially in this complex and interconnected era of globalization, it is clear to us that the challenges we face can only be addressed effectively…” he said.
According to the MEA, there are about 3,20,000 people of Indian origin in Guyana.
CARICOM is a group of twenty-one countries: fifteen Member States and six Associate Members, according to its website.
It is home to approximately sixteen million residents, 60 percent of whom are under the age of 30, and from the main ethnic groups of Indigenous, African, Indian, European, Chinese, Portuguese and Javanese, the website said.
The prime minister arrived here from Brazil, where he attended the G20 summit and also met with global leaders, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Earlier, Modi traveled to Nigeria, where he held bilateral talks with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and interacted with the Indian community.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from the feed of syndicated news agency – PTI)
