Trinidad gets ready to welcome PM Modi, solidify deep-rooted ties with India

Port of Spain, July 3 (IANS) As he emplaned for Port of Spain from Accra on Thursday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he is looking forward to deepening India's ties with Trinidad and Tobago, a valued partner in the Caribbean.

"Leaving for Trinidad & Tobago. Later this evening, I look forward to attending a community programme in Port of Spain. Tomorrow, will be addressing the Parliament of Trinidad & Tobago. Looking forward to deepening ties with a valued partner in the Caribbean, with whom we share very old cultural linkages," PM Modi posted on X after the conclusion of his two-day visit to Ghana.

Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) will be the second stop on the Prime Minister's ongoing five-nation visit and will be followed by visits to Argentina, Brazil and Namibia.

This will be PM Modi's first visit to the country as Prime Minister and the first bilateral visit at the Prime Ministerial level to T&T since 1999. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will hold talks with the President of Trinidad & Tobago, Christine Carla Kangaloo, and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and discuss further strengthening of the India-Trinidad & Tobago relationship.

Like Ghana, PM Modi will also address a Joint Session of the Parliament of T&T on Friday.

The visit of Prime Minister Modi to the Caribbean nation will impart fresh impetus to the deep-rooted, historical, cultural and people-to-people connect between the two nations.

Kangaloo was the Chief Guest at this year's Pravasi Bhartiya Divas and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has recently assumed office for the second term, has also visited India in the past and been felicitated with the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman award.

Indians first arrived in Trinidad and Tobago 180 years ago and PM Modi's visit is expected to provide an opportunity to rejuvenate the special bonds of ancestry and kinship that unite both countries.

Interestingly, this is the second visit of Prime Minister Modi to the Caribbean region in a span of eight months - he had previously visited Guyana in November 2024 - and shows the immense importance that India accords to the Caribbean countries and reflects India's growing partnership with CARICOM.

Last November, while addressing the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit in Georgetown, Prime Minister Modi had underscored that India stands firmly for giving voice to the concerns of the Global South. Noting that the Global South countries were the most impacted by the challenges and conflicts of recent years, he had also reaffirmed India's steadfast commitment to Caribbean countries as a reliable partner.

It was on the sidelines of the Summit in Guyana that PM Modi also met with the then Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley and congratulated him for adoption of India's flagship UPI Platform by the Caribbean nation while assuring further collaboration in the field of digital transformation.

Both the countries are seeking to expand and diversify their cooperation into major emerging areas like pharmaceuticals, tertiary care, renewable energy, digital public infrastructure, agriculture, disaster resistance and innovation and technology, along with sports, academic and cultural cooperation.

"The visit comes at an opportune time, as this year, 2025, the country (Trinidad and Tobago) is commemorating 180 years of the arrival of Indian immigrants in T&T," said MEA Secretary (South) Neena Malhotra during a special media briefing on Monday, ahead of PM's five-nation visit.

Bilateral relations between both nations are supported by a vibrant Indian diaspora. Out of the total 1.36 million population of T&T, the Indian diaspora constitutes nearly 40–45 per cent of T&T's population. The diaspora, descendants of immigrants who arrived starting 1845, continues to maintain strong cultural and emotional bonds with India.

PM Modi's address to the joint session of the parliament of T&T is also being seen as symbolic of India's traditions and democratic values, reaffirming New Delhi's deep rooted and enduring ties with the Caribbean.

"The Speaker's chair in the Parliament has been a gift by India, which is again a symbolic reminder of the strong democratic and parliamentary traditions between our two countries," said Secretary Malhotra.

This visit, she added, is also very special for both the President and the Prime Minister of T&T, since they are both of Indian origin, and hold pride in calling themselves as "daughters of India".

"The entire Indian community in Trinidad and Tobago is very enthusiastic about PM Modi's upcoming visit and a large diaspora interaction event is being planned during the visit. During the visit, the PM will hold high-level discussions with both the President and Prime Minister, and the leaders are expected to cover the entire gamut of our bilateral relations, as well as regional and multilateral aspects," the MEA Secretary mentioned.

--IANS

/as