Oil and gas major sector of cooperation for India with Guyana, Suriname amongst others: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs stated on Tuesday, at the start of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, that oil and gas cooperation are key areas of collaboration for India with Guyana and Suriname, among others.

Skill development has been prioritised since it is an important topic. The Minister of Skill Development and Education also spoke about it, according to Saurabh Kumar, Secretary East, MEA, noting that for Guyana and Suriname, oil and gas is an important area for collaboration, among other things.

The MEA Secretary further added that skill development is something that the President of Guyana is very keen on and he wants Indian manpower to be in Guyana and contribute to the development of the nation.

“In the bilateral context, skill development is something that the President of Guyana is very keen on. He also wants Indian manpower to be in Guyana and contribute to the development of the country. Capacity building is an integral part of our bilateral cooperation with both these countries,” Secretary East said.

Responding to media queries on India’s support to Guyana under “Vaccine Maitri”, Saurabh Kumar highlighted how the president of Guyana in his opening remarks expressed gratitude to India for providing them covid vaccines.

“Regarding India’s support to Guyana under vaccine Maitri, the President of Guyana in his opening speech expressed gratitude to India for providing them vaccines when they were unable to get them from anywhere. He shared this sentiment with both PM Modi and President Murmu during the bilaterals,” Saurabh Kumar said during the special briefing.

Furthermore, at the briefing, the Secretary (Consular and Diaspora) of the Ministry of External Affairs, Ausaf Sayeed, stated that the PBD convention was partnering with multiple ministers from other countries and had overwhelming reactions to these plenary sessions. All of the panellists made excellent contributions, and interactive sessions with the diaspora were done.

“We had several ministers from various countries partnering, so we had overwhelming responses to these plenary discussions. All panelist comntruibuited very well. Interactive sessions with the diaspora,” Ausaf Sayeed said.

He further said that this year, India had for the first time, from UAE a delegation of 200 students and in this way, we tried to have children come and experience their interaction and their interest. We also had 100 blue-collar workers also join, he added.

“We had big official delegations from Guyana, Suriname, and Mauritius. We had ministerial delegations from Malaysia, Panama, and Zimbabwe,” the Secretary (Consular and Diaspora) said during the briefing in Indore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu had bilateral discussions with the dignitaries from Guyana and Suriname on the margins of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held wide-ranging discussions with Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi on the margins of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention.

“Deepening ties with our CARICOM partner. PM Narendra Modi met President Mohamed Irfaan Ali of Guyana in Indore on PBD 2023 margins. Discussed furthering bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors, with a focus on energy, infrastructure, defence, healthcare, technology and innovation,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

“Wide-ranging discussions held between PM Narendra Modi and President Chandrikapersad Santokhi of Suriname in Indore on the sidelines of PBD 2023. Deliberated on ways to further boost our cooperation in hydrocarbons, maritime security, digital initiatives, ICT, capacity building and defence,” Bagchi tweeted.

On the fringes of the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, President Droupadi Murmu visited Presidents Chandrikapersad Santokhi of Suriname and Mohamed Irfaan Ali of Guyana in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is the Government of India’s flagship event, providing an essential forum for engaging and connecting with abroad Indians, as well as allowing the diaspora to communicate with one another.