NARENDRA MODI: CO-CHAIRING THE 2ND INDIA-CARICOM SUMMIT
AND FIRST INDIAN PM TO VISIT GUYANA IN 56 YEARS
Courtesy:
PIB
After a notable presence at the G-20 summit in Brazil,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Guyana's capital Georgetown on 20 November
2024 to participate in the India-CARICOM summit where the Prime Minister was
given an extraordinary welcome at the airport by President Irfan Ali, PM Mark
Anthony and more than a dozen cabinet ministers. Modi, who arrived on a state
visit, was also given a guard of honor.
On reaching the hotel, PM Modi was again
welcomed by Guyana's President Irfan Ali, Caribbean country Grenada's Prime
Minister Dickon Mitchell, Barbados' Prime Minister Mia Mottley, and four
ministers of Guyana. As proof of India's close friendship, the Mayor of
Georgetown also handed over the 'Key of Georgetown City' to Prime Minister
Modi.
The Indian community here presented a
cultural program to welcome PM Modi. He also met members of the Indian
community of all ages in Indian attire. This is the first visit of an Indian
Prime Minister to Guyana in more than 56 years. Earlier,
Indira Gandhi had visited Guyana as PM in 1968.
ABOUT CARICOM SUMMIT
The first summit between CARICOM
heads of state and Prime Minister Modi was held in 2019 on the sidelines of
the 74th session of the United Nations
General Assembly in New York where they discussed ways to
cooperate in renewable energy and climate change through a $150 million line of credit from India.
It is a regional organization established in
1973. Its objective is to promote economic integration and cooperation among
Caribbean countries.
It has 15 member countries
and 6 associate members. The 15 member
countries of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) are: (1) Antigua
and Barbuda (2) Bahamas (3) Barbados (4) Belize (5) Dominica (6) Grenada (7) Guyana
(8) Haiti (9) Jamaica (10) Montserrat (11) St. Kitts and Nevis (12) St. Lucia
(13) St. Vincent and the Grenadines (14) Suriname (15) Trinidad and Tobago.
The six associate members of CARICOM are: Anguilla,
Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, the Turks,
and Caicos Islands.
CO-CHAIRING THE 2ND INDIA-CARICOM
SUMMIT
PM Modi and the PM of Grenada His
Excellency Mr. Dickon Mitchell, co-chaired the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit in
Georgetown. The PM expressed his deep solidarity with the people of
CARICOM. He also conveyed his sympathies for the devastation caused by
Hurricane Beryl in the region.
Noting that countries of the Global South
have been most affected by the recent challenges and conflicts, he reaffirmed
India's strong commitment to CARICOM countries as a reliable partner. The Prime
Minister emphasized that India's development cooperation support is based on
the needs and priorities of the CARICOM countries.
To further strengthen India's close
development partnership and strong people-to-people ties with the region, the
Prime Minister offered assistance to the CARICOM countries in seven key areas.
These areas correspond well with the acronym CARICOM and enhance the close ties
of friendship between India and the group. The seven key areas are abbreviated
as C-A-R-I-C-O-M. They are:
● C: Capacity
Building
● A: Agriculture
and Food Security
● R: Renewable
Energy and Climate Change
● I: Innovation,
Technology and Trade
● C: Cricket and
Culture
● O: Ocean Economy
and Maritime Security
● M: Medicine and
Healthcare
ROLE OF INDIA IN ADVANCING THE GLOBAL SOUTH
In terms of capacity building, PM Modi
announced one thousand more ITEC slots for CARICOM countries over the next five
years. In the area of food security,
which is a key challenge for these countries, PM Modi shared India's experience
in adopting technology in the agriculture sector - drones, digital
farming, agricultural mechanization, and soil testing.
Sargassum seaweed is a major challenge to tourism
in the Caribbean region. The PM said that India would be happy to help convert
seaweed into fertiliser. He emphasised that India stands firmly to
voice the concerns of the Global South.
CARICOM and India share close cultural and
cricketing ties. The Prime Minister announced the training of 11 young women
cricketers from each CARICOM country in India.
India and Guyana signed 10 MoUs, including one
for cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector and another for agriculture.
According to the Indian government, the MoU on hydrocarbons entails sourcing
crude, collaboration in natural gas, and development of infrastructure,
capacity building, and sharing expertise in the entire hydrocarbon value chain.
Apart from this, India and Guyana will increase
cooperation in the fields of defense, trade, digital payment systems, energy,
and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The close cooperation between the two countries
in the field of defense is a symbol of deep mutual trust. India will continue
to contribute to the capacity building of the Guyana military through
scholarships and training.
PM MODI ADDRESSED THE PARLIAMENT
Courtesy: PM photo gallery
Prime Minister Shri Narendra
Modi addressed the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana. He is the
first Indian Prime Minister to do so. A special session of the Parliament was
convened by Hon’ble Speaker Mr. Manzoor Nadir for the address.
In his address, the PM
recalled the longstanding historical ties between India and Guyana. Despite the geographical distance between
India and Guyana, shared heritage and democracy united the two nations.
Underlining the shared democratic ethos and common human-centric approach of
the two countries, he noted that these values helped them to progress on an
inclusive path.
The PM spoke of
harnessing the full potential of women and youth to drive global progress and
prosperity and emphasised greater exchange between the two countries in the
fields of education and innovation.
He expressed
India's deep commitment to further strengthen the historical India-Guyana ties
and said that Guyana can become a bridge of opportunities between India and the
Latin American continent.
Finally, he quoted
a great son of Guyana, Shri Cheddi Jagan, who said that we must learn from the
past improve our present, and build a strong foundation for the future."
He invited Guyana's parliamentarians to visit India.
DEEP GRATITUDE EXPRESSED TO THE PM OF INDIA
CARICOM Chairman Dickon Mitchell expressed
deep gratitude to the Prime Minister of India and the Government of India for
their active and influential role in advancing the ideals and aspirations of the
Global South.
Michel said that India has shown unwavering
commitment to the sustainable development of the Global South, which is
commendable in the complex and interconnected era of globalization.
PM Modi's commitment to promoting
international partnerships and dedication to sustainable development is a
remarkable example for all countries.
Michel expressed gratitude to India on behalf
of all CARICOM citizens and said that India's contribution has been highly
influential in the development of the Global South.
THE HIGHEST HONOUR TO PM MODI FROM GUYANA AND
DOMINICA
Guyana and Dominica conferred their
top awards 'The Order of Excellence' and 'Honorary Order of Freedom'
respectively on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his contribution during the
COVID-19 pandemic and his exceptional contribution to the global
community and efforts to strengthen bilateral ties with the two Caribbean
countries.
It is worth noting that 16 million people of diverse ethnic groups including African, Indian, European, Chinese, Portuguese, and Javanese live in the Caribbean Community, a group of 21 countries. PM Modi paid tribute to the Indian diaspora who came here more than 185 years ago.
Guyana got independence from the colonial British rule on May 26, 1966. India’s relations with Guyana are warm and cordial with a high degree of understanding. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, there are about 3,20,000 people of Indian origin in Guyana, which has a population of about 8.5 lakh.
It is believed that Guyana can be included in the ten largest oil-producing countries of the world in the coming times. Its oil production has increased rapidly since the country began commercial production in December 2019. Guyana has over 11 billion barrels of recoverable oil and natural gas, which is one of the highest per capita levels in the world.
Guyana's President Irfan Ali is also of Indian origin. His ancestors arrived in Guyana as indentured labourers in the early 19th century. By 1917, about 2.4 lakh indentured labourers had arrived in Guyana. Today, the Indian community in Guyana constitutes about 40 percent of the population. These people are descendants of indentured labourers who established their roots in Guyana and today a person of Indian origin is the President of Guyana.
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