India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, is set to begin his official visit here tomorrow and high on the agenda, is the signing of an air services agreement which was initiated in 2016 under the APNU+AFC government.
The agreement is expected to ease the hassle in travelling between Guyana and India, High Commissioner Dr K J Srinivasa explained at a press conference yesterday at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre on Anira Street. He expanded by saying that there has been an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) but the agreement will encourage and promote air travel with airlines offering connections.
As they aim to strengthen bilateral partnerships, Jaishankar and his delegation will hold discussions in the areas of agriculture, infrastructure, defence, health and pharmaceuticals, technology and innovation, energy including renewables, human resource and capacity building, and Ayurveda and wellness.
“This visit by the External Affairs Minister is expected to solidify the bilateral relations by improving the exchange of high level visits between the two countries. We are also following up on various discussions, which happened during the high level visits in January and February,” the High Commissioner said.
Following a visit to India in February, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on his return announced the visit by Jaishankar.
At a press conference, Jagdeo had said that the two sides will sign a MoU to deepen energy relations.
“The MoU will deal with a number of issues. The MoU will deal with exploring the possibility of trading in crude oil, that is [the] sale of crude oil, but we agreed with the minister that this has to be beneficial to both countries and it has to follow market conditions. There is no agreement to sell any oil to India at this point in time. And any such agreement in the future will have to be competitive and will have to benefit both parties.
“… It deals with strengthening our regulatory capacity and sharing expertise building capacity in the staff at MRE… It also speaks about the collaboration in the future for natural gas… [as well as] potential areas for bilateral cooperation and developing our resources…” Jagdeo added.
During the official visit, Jaishankar will also oversee the signing of a number of bilateral agreements to strengthen ties in trade and investment between the two countries. Srinivasa explained too that while deepening of oil and gas relations has been talked about, it is not yet determined whether an agreement will be signed during the visit.
“As I mentioned, there’s a joint working group on energy and it’s not limited to the oil and gas, it is renewable energies also. Therefore, we are going to have discussions on that, we are working on that as we speak… It needs some clearances from both sides. So if you get those clearances by the time he lands here… we will be sign the orders otherwise they will sign in the near future,” he explained.
The High Commissioner went on to say they are working out the modalities of how to take the agreement forward. He stated too, that the technical group comprising experts from both countries was formed and has held meetings.
Ferry vessel
Jaishankar will so participate in several other events which include the commissioning of the new India-financed ferry vessel for the North West District on Sunday, a site visit to the construction of the India-funded Ogle to Eccles bypass road, and an Indian diaspora engagement at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, among others. He and his delegation will also be a part of visits to the Indian Arrival Monument at Palmyra, the Mahatma Gandhi Monument at the Promenade Gardens and the iconic Kaieteur Falls.
“He will be meeting with CARICOM, holding bilateral meetings with various ministers… The Speaker of the National Assembly where we expect discussions for promoting parliamentary exchanges and training in parliamentary matters. There is also meetings in a bilateral format with the Foreign Minister of Guyana… then followed by … Joint Commission meeting which I mentioned on the various topics,” the High Commissioner added.
The visiting Minister will also meet with President Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister Mark Phillips.
Jaishankar will be accompanied by a business delegation led by the Confederation of Indian Industries and will participate in an India-Guyana Business Round Table on Saturday. There will also be an engagement with the Indian diaspora and passport holders.
Srinivasa added that they are also looking to sign agreements between the private sector and the Indian Chambers of Commerce and establish a joint business council between counterparts.
Throughout the visits, the private sector will engage in business-to-business meetings in agriculture, agro-processing, engineering, infrastructure, food and beverages, chemicals, and renewable energies.
The visiting experts who are part of the delegation will also engage in site visits at the National Agricultural Research and Educational Institute (NAREI), and the Guyana Rice Development Board among others, to have a first-hand understanding of what is needed to propel discussions. The visits will identify areas for the use of technology and innovation.
“We are also expecting to sign an agreement for the production of millet in Guyana. We are also expecting to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with G-Invest (and) an Indian BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) company, that is going to provide about 120 jobs immediately… it is a medical BPO so they are establishing in Guyana and signing the MoU,” the High Commissioner disclosed.
Jaishankar is a career diplomat who joined the diplomatic service in 1977. He has traversed the globe, working in Hungary, in Washington DC, Sri Lanka, Japan, and many others. He has held the post as Ambassador to Czech Republic, China, and the United States, as well as High Commissioner to Singapore. He also held the post as Foreign Secretary for the country after his retirement. He was sworn in as a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet in 2019. He is the first Foreign Secretary to hold the post as Minister of External Affairs.
Earlier this year, Srinivasa announced that there will be a visit to Guyana by Modi. “… The Prime Minister openly said I will come to Guyana…. There are mutually workable dates, mutually acceptable dates,” the High Commissioner told Stabroek News in January.
It is suggested that the visit by Jaishankar will lay the foundation for that proposed visit later this year.
After his Guyana visit, Jaishankar will also travel to Panama, Colombia and the Dominican Republic, the Press Trust of India reported yesterday.
