Noting that India and Guyana have seen similar slavery and struggles, PM Narendra Modi Thursday recalled the longstanding historical ties between the two nations, and noted that in spite of the geographical distance, shared heritage and democracy brought the two nations close together.
Addressing the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana during a special session — the first Indian PM to do so — Modi said, “For the world, this is not a time for conflict. It is time to identify and eliminate the conditions that lead to conflict. I believe that space and sea should be subjects of universal cooperation, not universal conflict.”
“In the last 250 years, India and Guyana have seen similar slavery, similar struggles. There was a similar yearning for freedom from slavery… many people sacrificed their lives in the fight for freedom here and there too,” he said, adding that India’s mantra of ‘humanity first’ inspires it to amplify the voice of the Global South, including at the recent G20 Summit in Brazil.
Modi said India has “never moved forward with selfishness, expansionist attitude”, and has always been away from harbouring any feeling of seizing resources. Modi also asserted that it is “time for awakening of the Global South”, and for its members to come together to create a new global order.
Conveying India’s support to the Caribbean region, Modi thanked President Irfaan Ali for hosting the 2nd India-CARICOM Summit. He said that Guyana could become the bridge of opportunities between India and Latin America.
Guyana and Dominica conferred their top awards on PM Modi for his contributions during the Covid-19 pandemic and his exceptional contributions to the global community and efforts in strengthening ties with the two Caribbean nations.
