Georgetown [Guyana], November 20 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Guyana, the first Indian PM to visit the country in 56 years.
In an unprecedented gesture, he was received at the airport by President of Guyana, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and over a dozen cabinet ministers.
On PM's arrival, the President of Guyana shared a hug and exchanged pleasantries.
PM Modi received a ceremonial welcome and Guard of Honour in Georgetown, Guyana.
During his visit, PM Modi will address a special sitting of Guyana's parliament. He will also join leaders from the Caribbean partner countries for the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit.
In a press briefing ahead of PM's visit to Guyana, the Ministry of External Affairs had noted that Prime Minister's visit comes at the invitation of Guyanese President Mohammad Irfaan Ali.
Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Jaideep Mazumdar said, "Recently, there has been an uptick in high-level contacts between India and Guyana. President Irfaan Ali himself was a chief guest at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January 2023".
He added, "We have had a longstanding developmental partnership with Guyana, and this is in the fields of health, connectivity, and renewable power. The Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) built an ocean-going ferry, which we supplied to Guyana last year. We also supplied two HAL 228 aircraft under a line of credit to Guyana this year. Solar lighting for about 30,000 indigenous communities has been provided to 30,000 households. And we have so far had 800 ITEC alumni from Guyana who have studied in India. We hope to partner with them in a number of fields, including in hydrocarbons, but also in areas of healthcare, education and defence."
Elaborating on the Guyana visit, Mazumdar said that the PM will engage in delegation-level talks with President Irfaan Ali.
The MEA official further said that Guyana is the fastest-growing economy in the world and asserted that India in future will get the opportunity to partner with them in various fields. "It is the fastest-growing economy in the world, and we will have opportunities for partnering with them in diverse fields," Mazumdar said.
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