PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, arrived right here on Thursday initially of a two-day state go to aimed toward fostering nearer ties with Trinidad and Tobago at each the bilateral and multilateral ranges.
The 74-year-old chief of the world’s most populous state was met upon arrival by a delegation headed by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and ministers of her coalition administration. His go to right here is a part of a five-nation journey that will even take him to Ghana, Argentina, Brazil, and Namibia.
He was additionally greeted by conventional Indian music and dancing by native performers, accompanied by a metal band. Persad Bissessar, who led the United Nationwide Congress (UNC) coalition to energy within the April 28 common election, had prolonged an invite to Modi to go to the twin-island republic.
Modi might be awarded the nation’s highest award, the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT), which in keeping with an announcement from the Workplace of the Prime Minister “will subsequently function a tribute of the nation’s appreciation for Modi’s excellent contribution to the event of Trinidad and Tobago; and repair to the area and wider worldwide group”.
The assertion famous that “his management has additionally resulted in strengthened relations between India and CARICOM (Caribbean Neighborhood).”
The 74-year-old Modi is scheduled to attend a Neighborhood Diaspora Occasion in Couva, Central Trinidad, afterward Wednesday and pays a courtesy name on President Christine Kangaloo the next day, adopted by an handle to a Joint Meeting of the Parliament, the change of Memoranda of Understanding, and a Tree-Planting Ceremony.
Modi, who has been the Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy since 2014 and is now serving his third time period, in 2024, obtained the best nationwide awards from Barbados, Guyana, and Dominica.
In the meantime, the Trinidad and Tobago authorities has sought to downplay considerations raised by the Muslim group right here relating to Modi’s go to, insisting that it’s dedicated to the rules of equality, respect, and inclusion for all residents.
The Muslim group has publicly expressed discomfort over Modi’s presence resulting from his administration’s remedy of Muslim minorities in India with the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Affiliation (ASJA) urging the the general public to strategy this go to “with considerate discernment and calls on the Muslim group to reply with principled composure, non secular freedom, and human dignity by peaceable and constructive channels”.
The Islamic Da’wah Motion has referred to as on Prime Minister Persad Bissessar to lift the difficulty of Muslim discrimination in India when she meets with Modi.
However CARICOM and Overseas Affairs Minister, Sean Sobers, stated the Trinidad and Tobago authorities “stays unwavering in its dedication to the rules of equality, respect, and inclusion for all people, no matter race, ethnic origin, color, creed, or social class.
” We deeply worth the wealthy variety that defines our nationwide identification and uphold the liberty of each citizen to precise their considerations in our democratic society,” he added.
