India discusses oil, skilled manpower with Guyana

New Delhi [India], November 29 : India and Guyana held discussions on bilateral relations including gas and oil as well as Georgetown's need for skilled manpower.
India and Guyana held the 4th round of Foreign Office Consultations in Georgetown on November 28. During the meeting, the delegation of India and Guyana discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest and cooperation in multilateral bodies, including CARICOM.
The Ministry of External Affairs in the press release noted that the interaction between India and Guyana provided an opportunity to review bilateral ties in various sectors, including political, trade and economic, oil and gas, food security, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, ICT, education, culture and climate change.
For the foreign office consultations, the Indian side was led by Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs. Meanwhile, the Guyanese side was led by Ambassador George Talbot, Director, Multilateral Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. Both sides agreed to hold the next round of talks at a convenient date in New Delhi.
"The institutional interaction provided an opportunity to comprehensively review bilateral relations, including in areas such as political, trade and economic, oil and gas, food security, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, ICT, education and S&T, development partnership, climate change and culture," the Ministry of External Affairs said in the press release.
During the visit, Saurabh Kumar held a meeting with Guyanese President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali. In the meeting, the two sides discussed cooperation in various sectors, including oil and gas, infrastructure projects, defence cooperation, capacity building and Guyana's need for skilled manpower.
Saurabh Kumar informed Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali about the arrangements regarding the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas which the latter will attend as the Chief Guest Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali to participate in the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
For the meeting, Mohammed Irfaan Ali was accompanied by Guyanese Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation Hugh Todd and Minister of Public Works Indar Deodat.
During the meeting, Guyanese President Mohammed Irfaan Ali said that the two nations share a common heritage and values. He stressed the need to strengthen bilateral ties and highlighted that Guyana is "poised for rapid growth and development."
During the visit, Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, also met the Deputy Secretary General of the CARICOM Dr Armstrong Alexis in Georgetown. During the meeting, both sides welcomed the recent momentum in India-CARICOM relations and agreed to work towards further strengthening it.