Georgetown: President David Granger and Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi have pledged to strengthen the historical ties between Guyana and India through increased cooperation. During a bilateral meeting held in New Delhi, India Monday Prime Minister Modi told President Granger that India is willing to do whatever it can to support Guyana’s development and pointed out that there are many areas for cooperation, particularly in the sugar and oil sectors. Guyana’s Head of State visited India to attend the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Founding Conference and Solar Summit.
During the meeting, the two leaders reviewed the scale of Guyana-India relations and agreed to continue discussions when Prime Minister Modi visits Guyana later this year. President Granger also used the opportunity to update his Indian counterpart on the developments regarding the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy and expressed his appreciation for India’s support for Guyana on this matter, for which a final resolution will be sought at the International Court of Justice.
This meeting follows closely on a visit to India, in January of this year, by a delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Greenidge during which Guyana and India signed three cooperation agreements-one on renewable energy, one on cultural exchange and the framework agreement on ISA.
Meanwhile, the President, on Saturday, met with the Minister of New and Renewable Energy of India, Mr. Raj Kumar Singh, during which he iterated that Guyana remains open to investment in solar energy. He noted that Guyana is keen to become a model of solar energy development. The Minister, in response, indicated India’s willingness to send a team to assist Guyana in developing its solar energy plans.
The President also met with Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change of India, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, who he briefed on plans to establish an international institute to help catalogue Guyana’s inventory of its flora and fauna and to undertake biodiversity research. President Granger responded favourably to the Minister’s request for a delegation from Guyana to be represented at World Environment Day celebrations in India on June 5, 2018.
The ISA Solar Summit, which was held on Sunday, brought together solar resource rich countries in order to help achieve the common goals of increasing the use of solar energy in meeting energy needs of prospective ISA member countries in a safe, convenient, affordable, equitable and sustainable manner. The ISA has a potential membership of 121 countries located in the tropics, with 58 of those countries already signing the Framework Agreement establishing the ‘Alliance’.
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