India, Trinidad and Tobago strengthen ties with MoU exchange during India-CARICOM summit

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Amery Browne, the Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley.

This event took place during the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit, which marked the final stage of PM Modi’s three-nation tour.

Meanwhile, PM Modi also held talks with PM Rowley on the sidelines of the summit. In a post on X, PM Modi mentioned that the two leaders discussed how to diversify trade relations between India and Trinidad and Tobago.

He said, “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 also expressed his pleasure at Trinidad and Tobago’s adoption of India’s UPI (Unified Payments Interface) system and welcomed the signing of an MoU on agro and food processing.

“It is a matter of immense joy that Trinidad and Tobago has adopted UPI. The signing of an MoU relating to agro and food processing is also a welcome step,” he said.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) added more details in a post on X, highlighting that the two leaders discussed strengthening bilateral relations in sectors such as 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’s post mentioned.

The relationship between India and Trinidad and Tobago 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, making up nearly 42 per cent of the population. This strong Indian-origin community has played a major role in fostering close ties between the two countries.

India and Trinidad and Tobago have had several important exchanges over the years. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attended the CHOGM Summit in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009, and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar visited India in 2012. In recent years, PM Modi and PM Rowley have met 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. The Indian diaspora continues to play an important role in strengthening bilateral ties.