EAM Jaishankar to undertake North and South America tour to boost bilateral ties

EAM S Jaishankar (File photo)

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit North and South America for the first time since assuming office. He will begin his official visit on April 21 to Guyana, Panama, Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

Jaishankar will co-chair the Joint Commission Meeting with Hugh Hilton Todd while he will be in Guyana from April 21 to 23, which will involve discussions on a wide range of bilateral issues. He is also anticipated to address the leadership and speak with a number of ministries.

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On April 24, Jaishankar will visit Panama after wrapping up his trip to Guyana. He will be in Panama for two days and meet senior officials where he will be hosted by Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney Mencomo. He will meet the representatives of the eight-country Central American Integration System (SICA) during the India-SICA Foreign Ministerial Meeting, which will also be held during this visit.

On April 25, Jaishankar will set out for Colombia, where he will meet key figures from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. This will be the nation's first Foreign Ministerial level visit where the Foreign Minister of Colombia Alvaro Leyva Duran and EAM would review the bilateral ties. The Dominican Republic, the final stop of the tour, will begin on April 27 and mark the highest-level visit from India since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1999.

Jaishankar will be joined by an Indian business delegation led by the CII for the visits. These gatherings highlight the rising desire on both sides for closer commercial ties. He will also meet members of the Indian community in all four countries.

"EAM's visit to these four countries; his bilateral engagements as well as interactions with counterparts of important regional groups: CARICOM and SICA, adds to the momentum of the India-LAC engagements. It will provide an opportunity to continue high-level contact with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and explore new areas of cooperation in a whole host of areas; particularly in the post-pandemic scenario," according to the official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.