India’s External Affairs Minister arrives today for official visit

India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is visiting Guyana for the first time today on an official trip.

Bank Demerara; US$ 2.1 million in the supply and installation of 50 solar traffic lights; US$ 2.9 million in drainage pumps as well as US$ 2 million in the setting up of the Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (CEIT) at the University of Guyana (UG). Recently, India has delivered to Guyana the MV MA Lisha, built through a line of credit cum project grant from India to the tune of US$12.77 million that will serve the NorthWest region of Guyana. This ferry is expected to be formally jointly commissioned by HE President Irfaan Ali and EAM Dr S Jaishankar during his visit to Guyana.

India is also funding the construction of the Ogle-Eccles Road link. When completed, this road will significantly reduce the time commuters travel within these locations as well as open up areas for housing and commercial development. In addition, India has provided funding in the sum of US$17.5 million for the upgrade of the Suddie Regional Hospital, the West Demerara Hospital and the Bartica District Hospital and assistance for rice husk gasifier and quick impact community development projects. Notably, these supports from India and the growing friendship with Guyana have been underpinned by mutual respect and cooperation, acceptance of equal partners in business, non-interference in internal affairs and respect for territorial integrity.

These values characterise India’s affairs in the arena of global business, politics, trade and diplomacy and are imbedded in India’s values system, at the heart of which is the embrace of humanity. Here India stands as a giant in the world. Many will recall, less than two years ago in the throes of COVID-19, which was ravaging nations across the planet, India, notwithstanding its own challenges, quickly responded to the cries of distress, and Guyana was among the first countries to benefit from the Vaccine Maitri (vaccine friendship) programme. And in keeping with its reputation as the ‘Pharmacy of the World’, India extended this magnanimous gesture, supplying portions of its Oxford-AstraZeneca and Covaxin vaccines free of cost to scores of nations in need.

India’s service to humanity at the global level is worthy of note and emulation and cannot be more accurately elucidated by Guyana’s Foreign Minister, Honourable Hugh Hilton Todd, when he said the following:

“India has to take care of 1.3 billion people, in a democracy, with smooth transitions. Can you imagine having to take care of 1.3 billion people and still having the time at the policy level to say, ‘Let us look to see what we can do for the rest of the world’ when multilateral institution should be doing that; so I will dare say that India is a multilateral institution in its own right. When you think about their commitment to humanity, India is providing leadership at the global governance level and that is commendable for a country 75 years old. Think about it. In our lifetime, we have industrialised economies that were never colonised. Some were colonised centuries-old in terms of their post-independence but do you get the same attitude and commitment and conviction as you get from India?”

For India, her motto is expressed in the Sanskrit phrase, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, “The world is one family”.

Warmest welcome to Hon’ble External Affairs Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar and his delegation to Guyana and it is the hope that the friendship and commerce between Guyana and India will grow and deepen to the mutual benefit of their people.

“We [have been] working very assiduously over the past few years where we are actively engaging with Guyana from India, working on many new projects [and] building a strong partnership,” India’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa said during a pre-arrival press conference on Wednesday.

During Jaishankar’s three-and-a-half-day visit, he will convene with Foreign Ministers from some 13 of the 15 Caribbean Community (Caricom) Member States during a joint meeting as well as oneon-one bilateral discussions.

He will also engage with President Dr Irfaan Ali; Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo; Prime Minister, Brigadier (Retired) Mark Phillips and Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir.

The External Affairs Minister will be co-chairing a joint commission meeting between the two countries to engage with representatives from eight prominent sectors: agriculture; infrastructure; defence; health and pharmaceuticals; technology and innovation; energy –including renewable energy; human resources and capacity building; and ayurveda and wellness.

On Sunday, Jaishankar will be at the inauguration of the passenger ferry built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd in collaboration with the Government of Guyana.

The Minister’s visit also includes a business roundtable discussion with over 80 leading Guyanese companies, a site visit to the East CoastEast Bank bypass road, and visits to the Non-Aligned Monument, Mahatma Gandhi Monument and the Independence Monument where he will pay tribute and lay wreaths; a trip to Kaieteur Falls and lastly, a community reception with members of the Indian Diaspora and Indian passport holders.

This visit by Jaishankar follows the official visits to India by President Ali and Vice President Jagdeo in February, which saw discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on energy cooperation, infrastructure development, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, technology and innovation, and defence cooperation.

“We are following up on various discussions which happened during the high-level visits in January and February. India and the growing friendship with Guyana have been always [maintained] with mutual respect and cooperation,” Srinivasa said. “We accept that we are equal partners in business, non-interference in internal affairs, and respect for territorial integrity.”

As the current chair of the intergovernmental forum G20, India is working across the developing world and has involved Guyana previously for input especially on food security given the country’s leading position within Caricom on reducing food imports by 25 per cent by 2025, Srinivasa added.

As part of his Latin American tour, Jaishankar will also be visiting Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.