EAM Jaishankar to undertake North and South America tour to boost bilateral ties
Apr 19, 2023
New Delhi [India], April 19 : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will begin his official visit to Guyana, Panama, Colombia and the Dominican Republic on Friday, according to the official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.
This will be his first visit after assuming the office.
During his Guyana visit, from April 21 to 23, Jaishankar will be co-chairing the Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart Hugh Hilton Todd which will entail discussions on the whole gamut of issues between the two countries.
He is also expected to call on the leadership and will interact with several ministers.
According to the statement, "EAM's visit to Guyana would also be an opportunity for a meeting of Foreign Ministers in the India-COFCOR (Council on Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR); a group of 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) format and hold bilateral meetings with participating Ministers."
After completing his Guyana visit, Jaishankar will visit Panama on April 24.
In his two-day visit to Panama, EAM will be calling on top leadership and would be hosted by Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney Mencomo. During this visit, the India-SICA Foreign Ministerial Meeting will also be convened wherein he would meet representatives of the 8-country Central American Integration System (SICA).
On April 25, Jaishankar will start his journey to Colombia where he would be meeting several top representatives of the Government, business and civil society. This will be the first Foreign Ministerial level visit to the country.
During his visit to Colombia, from April 25-27, Jaishankar would be meeting several top representatives of the Government, business and civil society. Foreign Minister of Colombia Alvaro Leyva Duran and EAM would review the bilateral ties.
And the last destination of his visit, the Dominican Republic, will start on April 27 and will be the highest-level visit from India since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1999.
"EAM's visit takes place after the establishment of our resident Embassy in Santo Domingo in 2022. Apart from calling on the country's political leadership, EAM will be holding discussions with Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez. The two leaders would also formally inaugurate the Indian resident mission. EAM is also expected to deliver a talk at the Dominican Republic Foreign Ministry," the statement read.
A business delegation from India, led by CII will be joining EAM at business events that are planned during the course of the visit. These meetings underline the growing interest on both sides for stronger trade ties. EAM will also be meeting members of the Indian community in all four countries.
"EAM's visit to these four countries; his bilateral engagements as well as interactions with counterparts of important regional groups: CARICOM and SICA, adds to the momentum of the India-LAC engagements. It will provide an opportunity to continue high-level contact with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and explore new areas of cooperation in a whole host of areas; particularly in the post-pandemic scenario," according to the statement.
