EAM Jaishankar co-chaired the 4th India-CARICOM Ministerial Meeting
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar co-chaired the 4th India-CARICOM Ministerial Meeting with his Jamaican counterpart, Kamina J Smith, on April 22, 2023, at the CARICOM Secretariat in Guyana. The meeting was attended by foreign ministers from Suriname, Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Barbados, Trinidad, Dominica, Grenada, Belize, and the Bahamas.
The ministers discussed a wide range of sectoral cooperation, including trade and economy, agriculture and food security, health and pharma, energy and renewables, infrastructure, ICT and e-governance, development partnership and capacity building, higher education, culture, and people-to-people domains. They also exchanged views on vital issues of climate change and disaster resilience, counter-terrorism, reformed multilateralism, and closer cooperation at multilateral forums.
Jaishankar met with the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Carla Natalie Barnett, in Guyana and exchanged views for intensifying India-CARICOM ties. He further stressed on further strengthening the “age-old ties” between India and Suriname in a meeting with his counterpart, Albert Ramdin.
During his visit to Guyana, Jaishankar called on the leadership and interacted with several Ministers, including co-chairing the Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart Hugh Hilton Todd to discuss the whole gamut of issues between the two countries. The EAM’s visit to Guyana was also an opportunity for a meeting of Foreign Ministers in the India-COFCOR format and hold bilateral meetings with participating ministers.
Jaishankar will visit Panama from April 24-25, 2023, where he will be calling on top leadership and would be hosted by Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney Mencomo. During this visit, the India-SICA Foreign Ministerial Meeting will also be convened, wherein he would meet representatives of the eight-country Central American Integration System (SICA).
After his visit to Panama, the EAM will be visiting Colombia from April 25-27, 2023, where he would be meeting several top representatives of the government, business, and civil society. During the visit, he will meet with Colombian Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva Duran and review the bilateral ties.
Furthermore, Jaishankar will visit the Dominican Republic from April 27-29, 2023, which is the highest-level visit from India since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations in 1999. During his visit, he will hold talks with Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez, and the two leaders will formally inaugurate the Indian resident mission. He is also expected to make an address at the Dominican Republic Foreign Ministry.
Jaishankar’s visits to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic reflect India’s commitment to enhancing diplomatic ties with these countries and strengthening cooperation in various sectors. The meetings with foreign ministers and top representatives of government, business, and civil society are expected to pave the way for increased trade and economic ties, as well as greater cooperation on issues of mutual interest, such as climate change, disaster resilience, and counter-terrorism.
