Modi becomes first Indian PM to visit Guyana in 56 years

PTI, Nov 20, 2024, 12:21 PM IST

Georgetown: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Guyana on the last leg of his three-nation visit after attending the G20 Summit in Brazil.

In an unprecedented gesture, the prime minister was received at the airport by President Irfan Ali and over a dozen cabinet ministers, officials said.

Modi’s arrival marks the first visit of an Indian prime minister to Guyana in more than 50 years.

Modi, who is visiting Guyana at the invitation of President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, will remain in the country till November 21.

During his visit, Modi will meet Ali and exchange views on giving strategic direction to the unique relationship between the two countries.

He will also pay respect to one of the oldest Indian diasporas, which migrated more than 185 years ago, and engage a fellow democracy with an address in Guyana’s parliament.

According to the MEA, there are around 3,20,000 people of Indian origin in Guyana.

Modi will also join leaders from the Caribbean partner countries for the second India-CARICOM Summit.

The prime minister has been on a three-nation visit that included a “productive” trip to Nigeria, where he held bilateral talks with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and interacted with the Indian community.

Modi was also conferred with the country’s national award — the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). It was the 17th international award conferred on Modi by a country.

Modi’s visit to Nigeria was the first trip to the West African country by an Indian prime minister in 17 years.

From Nigeria, Modi travelled to Brazil to attend the G20 Summit.

In Brazil, he met global leaders, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

On Monday, Modi briefly interacted with Biden on the sidelines of the summit in their first exchanges following the US presidential election.

During an address at a session of the summit on Monday, Modi said India’s G20 theme of “One Earth, One Family, One Future” was as relevant at the latest summit as it was last year.

The countries of the Global South are most adversely impacted by the food, fuel and fertiliser crisis caused by global conflicts and the G20 must focus on addressing it, the prime minister said.

Biden, Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Macron and Starmer were among the leaders attending the two-day summit in Rio de Janeiro.

On Tuesday, Modi held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit.

He met leaders from Brazil, Italy, Indonesia and Portugal, Norway, Chile, Argentina, Egypt, South Korea and discussed ways to deepen ties in sectors such as defence, security, trade and technology.