Amid the ongoing massive transformation of Guyana, the outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa has pledged India’s continuing support towards the development of Guyana and other Caribbean countries in the area of ICT and energy.
“As Guyana enters a new era of development, and embarks on this very exciting journey for its quest for prosperity and development, there is a possibility. There’s obviously a very strong interest on India’s part,” the outgoing High Commissioner said.
The pledge was made while delivering remarks at a reception held on Wednesday night at the High Commissioner’s residence in Happy Acres, East Coast Demerara.
While reflecting on his four-year tenure which ends this week, Dr Srinivasa said the bilateral ties between India and Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis and Anguilla was strengthened significantly; a bond which the High Commissioner hopes will further deepened.
This year alone, several high-profile meetings were held between the governments of these nations where several commitments were made from either side.
“The focus areas and Guyana’s President Dr Irfaan Ali and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to include energy, obviously, health and pharma, Development Partnership and the capacity building that we do.
“Along with that, agriculture, technology and innovation, defense, infrastructure, among other things, in the aspirational efforts of Guyana today, a lot which looks familiar to us. And certainly, from the Indian point of view, I would say that we have every confidence that the capacities the manufacturing, the services, the technology that India generates today, to the extent they are relevant to the modernization and the prosperity,” Dr Srinivasa said.
Importantly, the diplomat credited Guyana for upholding its democratic values and principles, particularly during the 2020 elections. He noted that during his tenure, Guyana and India were side by side in battling the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and importantly, several lifesaving vaccines were donated by India.
Each is an effort that signifies India’s support for the developing nation.
Dr Srinivasa further said India has assured CARICOM that it will work with them in energy security, infrastructure, information technology and other multiple possibilities.
