India and Guyana are forging a partnership that is fit for purpose of the times, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said while addressing the Indian community here.
S Jaishankar, who is on his first visit to Guyana, also briefed the Indian community on his discussions with the Guyanese leadership and the joint commitment of both countries to raise the level of their partnership.
“I am delighted to have interacted with the Indian community in Guyana this evening. Thanks to Vice President Bharrat Jagde and Speaker Manzoor Nadir for joining us. Communicated that we are establishing a partnership that is fit for purpose for the current era,” he tweeted after addressing the diaspora on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, he met with officers from Guyana who had been trained in India. Jaishankar also joined Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali at the commissioning of the Indian ferry MV MA Lisha.
“MA Lisha means friendship. A ferry built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata is its practical expression. This ferry would greatly improve connectivity within Guyana. It will provide mobility and economic opportunities for remote hinterlands,” he said.
“Visited an evocative memorial to the arrival of Indians in Berbice, Guyana. He shared my admiration for their efforts and achievements with the diaspora. Thank Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Charles Ramson Jr. for connecting,” he said in another tweet.
S Jaishankar paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial and planted a tree for friendship between India and Guyana. He said Gandhiji’s message for climate awareness is universal and timeless. Jaishankar also joined the diaspora at Ram Krishna Dharmik Mandir here for morning prayers and thanked Human Services Minister Vindhya Vasini Persaud for attending it.
“I’m glad to see traditions, heritage and customs being maintained,” he said. Jaishankar co-chaired the 4th India-CARICOM Ministerial Meeting with his Jamaican counterpart Kaminaj Smith in Georgetown on Friday.
He met with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday before embarking on a nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia and the Dominican Republic on Friday, his first visit as foreign minister to the Latin American countries and the Caribbean.
