Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India has stood with the CARICOM member countries and moved forward like a trustworthy partner whether it is covid or natural disasters, capacity building or development issues. In his opening remarks at 2nd India-CARICOM Summit in Georgetown, Guyana last night, Mr Modi said, this summit is being held after five years and in these five years, the world has seen several changes and the mankind had to face some huge hardships. He said, it has severely affected the nations of Global South. The Prime Minister said, India has always tried to face these challenges along with CARICOM. To further strengthen the India-CARICOM partnership, Mr Modi put forward a seven pillar proposal C.A.R.I.C.O.M which stands for Capacity Building, Agriculture and Food Security, Renewable energy and Climate Change, Innovation, Technology and Trade, Cricket and Culture, Ocean Economy and Maritime Security and Medicine and Healthcare.
On behalf of the people of India, Mr Modi expressed grief on the damages caused during the Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbean region.
In his closing remarks, the Prime Minister said, relations between India and CARICOM countries are based on the shared past experiences, the shared present day needs and the shared aspirations for the future. He said, India is totally committed to taking these relations to new heights. Mr Modi said, in all the efforts, India has focused on the concerns of the Global south and its priorities. He said, under India’s presidency, last year, the G20 emerged as as the voice of the Global South. On Tuesday, in Brazil as well, Mr Modi called on the global community to give priority to the countries of the Global south. The Prime Minister said, he is pleased that India and all the CARICOM member countries agree that reforms are necessary in global institutions. He said, the institutions need to mould themselves to today’s world and to today’s society and this is the need of the hour. Mr Modi said, in order to make this a reality, close cooperation with CARICOM and CARICOM’s support are very important.
The Prime Minister co-chaired the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit, along with Prime Minister of Greneda Dickon Mitchell, the current chair of CARICOM. Mr Modi thanked Guyana President Dr. Irfaan Ali for hosting the Summit. The summit saw participation from Heads of Government and Foreign Ministers of the Member States.
