India is 'friendly' country, willing to cooperate with us: SVG Governor General
May 21, 2022
Kingstown [Saint Vincent and the Grenadines], May 21 : Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Governor-General Susan Dougan said that India is a friendly nation and willing to cooperate with their country.
"India is friendly and willing to cooperate with us as a nation and we are very fortunate to be one of the nations," SVG Governor General told ANI.
Referring to President Ram Nath Kovind's visit to SVG, Dougan said that his visit is significant as he took out time from his busy schedule to visit their nation, which is also not close to India.
The Governor-General said that President Kovind is a warm and gentle person and it takes a few minutes for people around him to see that personality.
Responding to the possibility of expanding the bilateral relation with India, Dougan said, "We are hoping to have a market in India... bilateral relations between us are significant."
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in the 76th UN General Assembly session where he said to use only ocean resources and not abuse them, the Governor-General said that she agree with him wholeheartedly. She further said that the water resources are decreasing, and the fish are decreasing because of the plastic and other things which are thrown into the river.
Susan Dougan said that naming the Calder road as 'India Drive-Bharat Marg' is significant and it is also close to her heart.
"My great-great-grandparents are from Madras, India. Growing up, I've been very close to the Indian community. To name the Calder road, 'India Drive-Bharat Marg' is significant as it means a lot to our people. That is very close to my heart," she added.
Referring to Indian visitors to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dougan said, "We've seen quite a number of Indian professionals visiting our shores as our government has made it easy for them to stay. Some of them have lived here for over 30yrs and made a significant contribution not only in the profession but also to the economy."
