Jaishankar pushes deeper India-CARICOM ties in economy, digital and mobility
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday called for deeper ties between India and Caribbean nations, particularly in the economic, digital and mobility sectors, during the India-CARICOM Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the sidelines of the high-level UN General Assembly session in New York.
Jaishankar said the relationship between India and the Caribbean is rooted in a shared history and common development challenges. Along with discussions with Caribbean counterparts, he also held meetings with the foreign ministers of the Netherlands, Finland, Slovenia and Andorra on issues ranging from the Ukraine conflict to trade, technology and multilateral cooperation.
In a post on X, Jaishankar said India "emphasised that we must further deepen our ties, especially in economic, digital and mobility domains". He said India has pushed solarisation in the CARICOM region and asked member countries to consider joining the International Solar Alliance and the Global Biofuels Alliance.
He noted that the committed SME and Quick Impact Projects have been completed in several Caribbean countries, while work remains under way in some others. He also said India has held limb fitment camps, gifted haemodialysis units, and provided compact medical BHISHM Cube units to some CARICOM partners.
Jaishankar urged CARICOM countries to make use of the training slots offered by India and said customised training programmes could also be arranged in areas of interest.
On the sidelines of the UN session, Jaishankar met Netherlands Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen and exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict. He also reviewed the deliverables from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Netherlands earlier this year.
In his meeting with Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, Jaishankar discussed current geopolitical and technology challenges. "Our bilateral relations and cooperation in the European Union remain strong," he said.
Jaishankar also met Slovenia Foreign Minister Tone Kajzer and discussed emerging trade and investment opportunities "as we move towards the actualisation of the India-EU FTA". He said they also discussed energy, manufacturing, digital, connectivity, defence and multilateral aspects of the relationship.
With Andorra Foreign Minister Imma Tor Faus, Jaishankar discussed trade and investment, climate change, Artificial Intelligence and multilateral cooperation. The meetings together focused on strengthening India's ties with the Caribbean and several European partners across economic, strategic and global issues.
