Georgetown [Guyana], November 21 (HBtv): External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar and Amery Browne, the Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley. This event occurred during the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit, which marked the final stage of PM Modi's three-nation tour.

On the sidelines of the summit, PM Modi also held talks with PM Rowley, where they discussed ways to diversify trade relations between the two nations. PM Modi shared on X, "Had a very fruitful meeting with Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago. We talked about how to diversify trade linkages between our nations. Areas like science, healthcare, education, renewable energy, and agriculture offer great potential for cooperation."

PM Modi expressed his pleasure over Trinidad and Tobago's adoption of India's UPI (Unified Payments Interface) system, calling it a "matter of immense joy." He also welcomed the signing of the MoU on agro and food processing.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) further emphasized that the two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral relations in various sectors, including digital transformation, health, defence, maritime security, transportation, and cultural exchanges. "PM congratulated PM Rowley for adopting India's flagship UPI platform. The leaders discussed ways to strengthen India-Trinidad and Tobago relations in areas of digital transformation, health, defence and maritime security, transportation, and cultural exchanges," the MEA post stated.

India and Trinidad and Tobago's strong relationship dates back to 1845 when the first ship, Fatel Razack, brought 225 Indian indentured workers to Trinidad. Today, the descendants of these workers form the largest ethnic group in the country, comprising nearly 42% of the population.

Both nations have had several important exchanges, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attending the CHOGM Summit in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009, and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar visiting India in 2012. PM Modi and PM Rowley have met several times in recent years to discuss expanding cooperation. During the first-ever India-CARICOM Summit in 2019, India committed a USD 150 million line of credit for renewable energy and climate projects, further strengthening ties between the countries. (ANI)