India, Guyana sign key pacts to strengthen ties
Addressing the press along with Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Modi said the visit of an Indian PM to Guyana after 56 years is an important milestone in bilateral ties.
India and Guyana on Wednesday signed a raft of memoranda of understanding across several key sectors including health, hydrocarbons, agriculture and banking to deepen their bilateral relationship, while agreeing to strengthen their cooperation in areas such as defence, urban development, education and food security, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the South American country, the first by an Indian PM in 56 years.
The 10 MoUs signed in Guyana’s capital Georgetown included the possibility of deployment of Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-like real-time payment system in Guyana, strengthening cultural cooperation, collaborating and exchanging information in the field of regulation of medicines, and supply of medicines to public procurement agencies of Caricom (Caribbean Community) countries at affordable prices.
The MoU on cooperation in the hydrocarbons sector includes sourcing of crude, collaboration in natural gas, development of infrastructure, capacity building and sharing expertise in the entire hydrocarbon value chain. The MoU relating to agriculture and allied sectors seeks to promote cooperation through joint activities, and exchange of scientific materials, information and personnel.
Another one is aimed at fostering cooperation in the areas of digital transformation through capacity building, training programmes, exchange of best practices, and exchange of public officials and experts.
Addressing the press along with Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Modi said the visit of an Indian PM to Guyana after 56 years is an important milestone in bilateral ties.
“I had come here as a common citizen 24 years ago and during that visit, I got a glimpse of how historic and deep India-Guyana ties were. It is a matter of good fortune for me to return here as PM. During today’s meeting, we identified several new initiatives to strengthen our cooperation. We will make continuous efforts to expand our cooperation including trade and economic cooperation.”
India has made important contribution towards the skill development and capacity building of the people of Guyana, and this is a matter of top priority for New Delhi India, Modi said, while also referring to other sectors where the two countries are collaborating on including defence, food security, R&D in agriculture, infrastructure and energy.
In his address, Ali said, “Our discussions today were not only fruitful but also reinforced our shared commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and collaboratively addressing regional and global concerns. PM Modi’s visit represents a significant milestone in enhancing bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.”
He listed out infrastructure, education, human capital development, diversification of economy, defence, technology transfer and food processing as other sectors in which the two sides will further deepen their cooperation, adding that ayurvedic medicines and vaccine manufacturing in Guyana also held tremendous opportunity.
“We have committed ourselves to this work by establishing a working group to take cooperation forward and remove bottlenecks,” he added.
Ali hailed Modi as a ‘champion among leaders’ for his impactful leadership and contribution to the developing world.
“You are a champion among leaders. You have led incredibly. You have shown light to the developing world and you have created development metrics and framework that many are adopting in their own country. And much of it is relevant to us here in Guyana.”
Modi and Ali also planted a sapling in Georgetown under the “Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam (one tree in the mother’s name)” initiative.
Modi is in Georgetown on a two-day state visit to Guyana. As a special gesture, he was received at the airport by Ali and Guyana PM Brigadier Mark Anthony Phillips (retd) and was accorded a ceremonial welcome. More than a dozen cabinet ministers of the Guyana government were also present at the ceremony.
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