Guyana and India sign key MoUs to strengthen bilateral cooperation
The governments of Guyana and India have signed five Memorandums of Understandings (MoU) that are meant to strengthen collaboration.
The MoUs, which cover areas such as health, agriculture, hydrocarbon, finance and technology, were signed as part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day visit to Guyana.
One memorandum, which covers health, will see India share its expertise with Guyana in the field of medical product regulation. This MoU allows both countries to share information and collaborate on good lab, clinical, manufacturing and pharmacovigilance practices.
Guyana also signed an agreement to recognise the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), which is the premier institution to certify Indian manufactured medical products, as a standard for quality assurance.
This clears the way for more Indian manufactured drugs to be imported into Guyana.
Following the exchange of MoUs, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali said the memorandums are set to help Guyana in its pursuit to become a developed and prosperous nation.
“The discussions this morning and the agreements we have signed only lay more work for all of us and we have committed ourselves to this work by the establishment of a framework, the establishment of a working group that will advance all the ideas and all the decisions to ensure that the bottlenecks and systemic hinderances would be removed,” Ali said.
Ali hailed India as a shining light in the developing world and thanked India for sharing their expertise with Guyana.
He noted that Modi’s visit represents a significant milestone in enhancing cooperation between our two nations.
Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Guyana since the two countries established diplomatic relations over 50 years ago, thanked Ali for inviting him to Guyana to strengthen their cooperation and enhance relations with the wider Caribbean through the second India-CARICOM summit.
Modi said he was pleased to see Guyana benefitting from its collaboration with India.
“India has made a significant contribution in the skill development and capacity building of the people of Guyana as per their needs. This is a high priority area for India and we will further enhance this cooperation. We have close cooperation in the area of agriculture. Last year, the millet seeds supplied by India, we were able to contribute to the food security of not only Guyana, but the entire region,” he stated.
Modi said India will continue to be a friend and supportive partner to Guyana.
He lauded Guyana for efforts on the diplomatic front saying both countries “believe that all problems should be solved through dialogue and diplomacy. We both agree that reforms in global institutions are the need of the hour.”
“Climate justice is a priority for both of us. We will continue to work together on all these subjects.”
Guyana’s security was also discussed and Modi said India will continue to provide training and equipment to bolster the Guyana Defence Force.
