Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Guyana on Wednesday, marking the visit of the first Indian Prime Minister after 56 years.
In a symbolic move, Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali received PM Modi himself at the airport. More than a dozen cabinet ministers were present to accord a warm welcome to the visiting Indian leader.
As PM Modi arrived, President Ali embraced him in a warm hug, exchanging pleasantries. Later, the Prime Minister was accorded a ceremonial welcome, which included a Guard of Honour in Georgetown, Guyana’s capital.
PM Modi would address a special session of Guyana’s parliament during his visit. He is scheduled to join leaders from Caribbean nations at the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit. This would be a visit at the invitation of President Irfaan Ali, confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs.
During a press briefing ahead of the visit, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar spoke about the growing relationship between both countries. He iterated that high-level exchanges have gone up between the two countries. For instance, President Irfaan Ali was the chief guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January 2023.
Mazumdar went on to raise the close developmental partnership between India and Guyana, in particular health, connectivity, and renewable energy. He said that last year, India’s GRSE built and supplied an ocean-going ferry to Guyana. Similarly, this year, India supplied two HAL 228 aircraft to Guyana under a line of credit. Apart from that, India has supported the solar lighting project that was able to provide for approximately 30,000 households within Indigenous communities across Guyana.
The ITEC program of India has also aided some 800 Guyanese students who studied in India and helped build relationships between the two countries.
He further added that PM Modi will have delegation-level talks with President Ali. He also termed the economic growth of Guyana as the fastest in the world. Given this backdrop, India is keen to collaborate with Guyana in several sectors, including hydrocarbons, healthcare, education, and defense. The two nations will also open a slew of opportunities for deeper cooperation in the times to come.
ANI