GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and India have renewed their commitment to bilateral cooperation, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat.
It said that the commitment was made at the second meeting of the CARICOM-India Joint Commission which met virtually last Wednesday.
The statement said that the Joint Commission reviewed the entire spectrum of relations between India and CARICOM including economic and commercial, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, energy and infrastructure, technology and innovation, human resource and capacity building, culture and people-to-people exchange.
”Both sides deliberated on strengthening economic cooperation, enhancing trade and fostering a robust partnership in the areas of education, digital public infrastructure, development cooperation, renewable energy, science and technology, climate change adaptation, disaster management and resilient infrastructure,” it added.
The Joint Commission was co-chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign of Affairs of Dominica, Barbara Bailey, who in her remarks noted that India has been a long-standing friend of the Community having established diplomatic relations with member countries as far as 1962.
She expressed appreciation for India’s support for the convening of Joint Commission, which met previously in 2015, noting that the discussion signaled the commitment that both CARICOM and India attach to their important relationship.
India’s Vice Minister within the Ministry of External Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar, also underscored the significance of the meeting in advancing preparations for upcoming engagements, which he said will add momentum to CARICOM-India relations.
The CARICOM statement said that the meeting of the CARICOM-India Joint Commission comes on the heels of an India-CARICOM Foreign Ministerial Meeting held on 27 September this year New York.