Indian PM Narendra Modi arrives in Guyana to strengthen Global South ties

Historic diplomatic relations deepen as Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi made the last leg of the three-nation tour to Guyana on November 20, 2024. This visit is of great significance as for the first time an Indian PM visited South American country of Guyana in more than half a century.

This was evident by the fact that the Head of State, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, together with over a dozen of his Cabinet Ministers, received Prime Minister PM Modi at the airport.

The trip, part of Modi’s three-nation tour comprising Nigeria and Brazil, is meant to strengthen India’s connect with the Caribbean and the rest of the global south.

Engagement with Guyana’s Indian Diaspora

India has a large Indian population abroad, among which an evident number of around 320,000 individuals dwelling in Guyana, with the India-Guyana relationship going back to more than 185 years.

Such links are well-established and are likely to be underlined by PM Narendra Modi during his visit as he is to have direct engagements with members of the diaspora community and pay them tribute to their role in the Guyanese social fabric.

PM Narendra Modi is also likely to speak before the Guyana’s Parliament as part of India’s renewed focus in strengthening democracy and knowledge sharing.

India-CARICOM Summit

During the scheduled India-CARICOM Summit PM Modi will interact with the leaders of Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The spokesman for the summit believes that it will build on cooperation in trading, technology, health and disaster response.

This is a clear indication of India’s increased influence in extending strategic cooperation to other smaller countries as well as increase its engagement in the Western hemisphere.

PM Modi to receive Dominica’s highest honor

Also, today, PM Narendra Modi will be bestowed with the Dominica Award of Honour, the country’s highest honor. This award ceremony is to be held after the adoption of the Suriname address and before the Haiti address later in the day.

This prestigious award recognizes PM Modi’s efforts for enhancing and promoting strategic cooperation and partnerships for development with the CARICOM region. It reveals the extent to which the region values India’s contribution especially in areas of renewable energy, education and health.

Commonwealth of Dominica: A Key Partner

Among the Caribbean countries, the Commonwealth of Dominica aligning itself with CARICOM has become an important partner of India. It also has a common dream with India regarding the efficient utilization of resources and sustainable development as the Maldives has been able to attract Indian investments in the development of climate-resilient infrastructure and the Solar programme.

The acknowledgment of PM Modi by Dominica indicates that there is an emerging bond between the two nations.

Sustaining India’s presence in the Global South

PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Guyana is after he attended the G20 Summit in Brazil where he was speaking for the Global South on food, fuel, fertilizer crises.

Earlier he was awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) in Nigeria and had an exchange of bilateral talks with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The said engagements cast India in a favourable light when it comes to managing issues relevant to the developing world and promoting sustainable economic development.

A New Page in India-Guyana Relations

The Prime Minister of India’s recent visit to Guyana creates a new platform for shared work, camaraderie in trade and investment and developing strategic relations.

During the visit, India strengthens bilateral relations in Democracy, sustainable development, and prosperity enhancing the Caribbean region. The occasion is a momentous one for India with its growing intercontinental outreach especially to areas that may be marginalized in today’s geopolitics.