EAM Jaishankar co-chairs 4th India-CARICOM Ministerial Meeting, holds bilateral talks with counterparts

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar co-chaired the fourth ministerial meeting between India and CARICOM countries along with Jamaican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina J Smith on Saturday.

The discussions at the meeting covered cooperation in areas like trade & economy, health, and development partnership.

"Discussed our wide-ranging sectoral cooperation, including in Trade & Economy; Agriculture & Food Security; Health & Pharma; Energy & Renewables; Infrastructure, ICT & eGovernance; Development Partnership & Capacity Building; Higher Education; Culture and P2P domains," EAM Jaishankar tweeted.

"Also exchanged views on vital issues of Climate Change & Disaster Resilience; Counter Terrorism; Reformed Multilateralism and closer cooperation at multilateral forums. Agreed on follow-up steps, including holding the second Joint Commission Meeting this year," he added.

CARICOM, or the Carribbean Community, is a grouping of 20 countries -15 Member States and 5 Associate Members.

EAM Jaishankar also had bilateral discussions with his counterparts from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines. They covered a range of topics at these sessions, including deepening cooperation, commerce, combating climate change, digital transformation, health areas, agriculture, and the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Aside from the main CARICOM meeting, EAM Jaishankar and Kamina J Smith met on a one-on-one basis to explore how to advance partnership in training and development. They also concurred that stronger relationships depended on business-to-business interactions.

“Great to meet FM @kaminajsmith of Jamaica. Complimented her for effectively co-chairing the India-CARICOM meeting earlier today. Discussed taking forward cooperation in training & development partnership. Agreed on importance of business to business exchanges for stronger ties,” he tweeted.

At his meeting with Barbados' Foreign Minister Kerrie Symmonds, EAM Jaishankar also discussed how the two countries might collaborate in the fields of skills, health, and renewable energy.

“Glad to meet with Barbados Foreign Minister Kerrie Symmonds. Exchanged views on working together in domains of renewable energy, health and skills,” he tweeted.

Speaking of his meeting with Dr. Amery Browne, the Foreign Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, EAM Jaishankar said that they discussed their development alliance with a focus on the health and digital transformation sectors.

“Good to meet Dr Amery Browne, Foreign Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Spoke about taking forward our development partnership focusing on digital transformation and health domains. Will continue our cooperation at multilateral forums,” he tweeted.

During his discussion with the Foreign Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Denzil Douglas, EAM Jaishankar highlighted resonance in the agricultural and technological fields and emphasized that India will always represent the interests of the Global South.

“So nice to meet Foreign Minister Dr Denzil Douglas of St. Kitts and Nevis on the sidelines of the India-CARICOM meeting. Noted our resonance in agriculture and digital domains. Conveyed that India will always voice the concerns of the Global South,” he tweeted.

Moreover, EAM Jaishankar spoke with Keisal Peters, the Foreign Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and expressed his appreciation for SVG's interest in Millets as well as their current initiatives and potential for increasing their collaboration.

“Glad to meet FM of St. Vincent and Grenadines Keisal Peters today (Friday). Appreciated SVG’s interest in Millets. Also discussed our ongoing projects and further expanding of cooperation,” he tweeted.

Afterward, EAM Jaishankar met with Grenada's Foreign Minister Joseph Andall. During their meeting, they talked about strengthening their respective nations' development collaboration and reiterated their support for Reformed Multilateralism.

“Happy to meet FM Joseph Andall of Grenada. Discussed advancing our development partnership. Also reaffirmed our belief in Reformed Multilateralism,” he tweeted.

Later, EAM Jaishankar also spoke with Indian-born former student and Bahamas Parliamentary Secretary Jamahl Strachen about the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and UNSC reforms