PM Modi and Suriname President Santokhi discuss strengthening bilateral ties at 2nd India-CARICOM summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Suriname’s President Chandrikapersad ‘Chan’ Santokhi on the sidelines of the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit in Georgetown. The two leaders reviewed the progress of the India-Suriname partnership and discussed ways to enhance cooperation across various sectors.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “PM @narendramodi met President @csantokhi of Suriname on the sidelines of the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit in Georgetown. Both leaders reviewed progress on – partnership and emphasized the importance of strengthening economic cooperation. They agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in areas including defense & security, trade & commerce, agriculture, digital initiatives including UPI, ICT, healthcare, traditional medicine and pharmaceuticals, capacity building, human resource development, cultural and people to people engagements.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell on Thursday in Georgetown, on the sidelines of the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit. The two leaders discussed key areas of cooperation, said an MEA official.

During the meeting, PM Modi congratulated PM Mitchell for successfully hosting the summit. The discussions focused on development cooperation in areas such as education, ICT, healthcare, food security, cricket, capacity building, and sustainable development, according to an MEA official.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in a post on X, said, “PM Narendra Modi met PM Dickon Mitchell of Grenada on the sidelines of the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit in Georgetown. PM Modi congratulated PM Mitchell for successfully conducting the summit. Discussions were held on development cooperation in areas like education, ICT, healthcare, food security, cricket, capacity building, and sustainable development.”

Meanwhile, PM Modi also held bilateral talks with Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne in Georgetown, marking the final leg of his three-nation tour.

The MEA on X said, “PM @narendramodi met PM @gastonbrowne of Antigua and Barbuda on the margins of 2nd India-CARICOM Summit today. PM congratulated PM Browne for successfully hosting the 4th SIDS conference. PM Browne appreciated the 7 pillar CARICOM plan put forth by the PM at the Summit.”

“The leaders exchanged views on issues of trade & investment, capacity building for SIDS, and climate change action. PM Browne announced support for India’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council”, the MEA spokesperson added in his post.

Earlier, PM Modi met Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago during the same summit. In a post on X, PM Modi shared that the two leaders discussed diversifying trade linkages between the countries. PM Modi also praised PM Rowley for adopting the UPI platform and welcomed the signing of an MoU on agro and food processing.

“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. 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,” PM Modi said.