New Delhi [India], November 13 : Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Jaideep Mazumdar on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Guyana marks a significant milestone, being the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in over half a century.
Notably, diplomatic relations between India and Guyana have existed since 1965 when a Commission of India was established in Georgetown in May 1965 and was made a full-fledged High Commission of India in 1968 after the country got independence on May 26, 1966. Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Guyana in 1968.
He further said that India and Guyana share a longstanding developmental partnership in several fields including fields of health, connectivity, and renewable power.
The remarks by Mazumdar came while addressing the special briefing by MEA on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nigeria, Brazil and Guyana.
Mazumdar said, "From Rio, the Prime Minister will be undertaking a visit to Guyana from November 19-21 at the invitation of President Mohammad Irfaan Ali. This is a visit by an Indian Prime Minister after more than half a century. Recently, there has been an uptick in high-level contacts between India and Guyana. President Irfaan Ali himself was a chief guest at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January 2023..."
He added, "We have had a longstanding developmental partnership with Guyana, and this is in the fields of health, connectivity, and renewable power. The Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) built an ocean-going ferry, which we supplied to Guyana last year. We also supplied two HAL 228 aircraft under a line of credit to Guyana this year. Solar lighting for about 30,000 indigenous communities has been provided to 30,000 households. And we have so far had 800 ITEC alumni from Guyana who have studied in India. We hope to partner with them in a number of fields, including in hydrocarbons, but also in areas of healthcare, education and defence."
Elaborating on the Guyana visit, Mazumdar said that the PM will engage in delegation-level talks with President Irfaan Ali and will also address the National Assembly of Guyana. Mazumdar said, "During the visit, the Prime Minister will have delegation-level talks with President Irfaan Ali. He will address the National Assembly of Guyana, and he will also address the diaspora. The Indian diaspora in Guyana arrived in 1838, so it is more than 180 years since there has been an Indian presence in Guyana. Today, roughly 40 per cent of the population of 8,00,000 is of Indian origin, and they are a vital link between our two countries."
Mazumdar further said that during the Guyana visit, PM Modi will co-chair the CARICOM-India Summit. "At the same time, in Guyana, the Prime Minister will also co-chair the second India-CARICOM Summit. There will be the leaders of all CARICOM countries present in Guyana for that occasion, as well as the Secretary-General of CARICOM. This is only the second summit between India and CARICOM, and the first in a CARICOM country."
He added, "And this is a significant summit, and we expect to have a very rich agenda of cooperation with CARICOM during this summit. We recently had a joint commission meeting at my level with CARICOM countries in which we identified a whole range of areas on which discussions will be carried forward during the summit. These will be examined in detail and areas of cooperation identified in areas such as healthcare, ICT including digital public infrastructure, connectivity, skilling and capacity building, technology and innovation, education, especially in STEM and higher education, and renewable energy. The CARICOM countries have been a strong partner of India in the Global South and have participated in every iteration of the Voice of the Global South Summit, and we will carry forward that dialogue during the second India CARICOM Summit."
The MEA official further said that Guyana is the fastest-growing economy in the world and asserted that India in future will get the opportunity to partner with them in various fields. "It is the fastest-growing economy in the world, and we will have opportunities for partnering with them in diverse fields," Mazumdar said.
Notably, PM Modi will be visiting Nigeria, Brazil and Guyana from November 16-21. Following his visit to Brazil's Rio De Janeiro, PM Modi will travel to Guyana.