GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Guyana and India Wednesday signed a number of bilateral agreements that they said will further enhance cooperation between them as well as provide for a common position on global issues.
President Dr. Irfaan Ali and visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the bilateral discussions (CMC Photo)President Dr. Irfaan Ali described his talks with the visiting Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, as being “not only fruitful, but also reinforced the shared commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and to collaboratively address regional and global concerns”.
He said the visit presents a “significant milestone in enhancing cooperation between our two nations and across multiple sectors”.
The two countries signed bi lateral agreements covering health, finance, agriculture as well as energy and technology transfer.
“We further discussed collaboration in infrastructure, education, human capital development and the continued diversification of our economies,” Ali said.
“The discussions this morning and the agreements we have signed only lay more work for all of us and we have committed ourselves to this work by the establishment of a framework, the establishment of a working group that will advance all the ideas and all the decisions to ensure that the bottlenecks and systemic hinderances would be removed,” Ali said.
For his part, Modi, who arrived here from Brazil where he had been attending the G20 summit, said that over the years India has been contributing to the socio-economic development of Guyana and by extension the wider region.
He said given the new possibilities in the area of energy for example “we can move forward together as natural partners.
“Guyana will lay an important role in India’s energy security and in this regard we will create a roadmap for a long term partnership,” he said, adding the MOU we are signing today on this subject will further strengthen our cooperation.”
Modi said he is pleased that Guyana has joined initiatives started by India including the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilience and Infrastructure and the Global Biofuel Alliance.
“These wall help strengthen efforts being made across the world to move towards green and sustainable future,” he said, adding that the two countries close cooperation in the area of defence bears testimony to the mutual trust beweep them.
“We will continue to contribute to capacity building for solders in Guyana,” he said, adding that during the discussions “we discussed several region and global issues.
“India and Guyana both believe that all problems should be solved through dialogue and diplomacy. We both agreed that reforms in global institutions are the need of the hour.
“Climate justice is a priory for both of us. We will continue to work together on all these subjects since the people who arrive from Guyana 180 years ago laid the foundations for our relations,” he added.
