Trinidad and Tobago PM arrives in India
January 5th, 2012 - 8:07 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who traces her roots to India, arrived here Thursday on a 10-day visit during which she will visit her ancestral village in Bihar.
Bissessar is accompanied by cricketers Brian Lara and Daren Ganga, besides a high-level ministerial delegation
She will be the chief guest at the Pravasi Bharati Divas in Jaipur and will be honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award Jan 9.
Bissessar will also visit Kolkata and Mumbai during her stay in India, external affairs ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told reporters.
Akbaruddin said that it was a first state visit to India of the year and is also the first by a woman head of the government of Indian origin. “It has a special resonance as far as we are concerned,” he said.
She is accompanied by several ministers and sporting ambassadors Lara and Ganga.
Akbaruddin said that during her visit agreements on culture, cooperation in technical education and traditional medicines are likely to be signed between the two countries.
On Friday, she will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and will call on President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari.
He said the visit is expected to further widen the scope of ties between India and Trinidad and Tobago, a carribean nation that 42 percent of the people of Indian origin.
Trinidad and Tobago is the largest in the Caribbean with vibrant and open economy, sharing close cultural and historical links with India.
Many Indian companies, including ESSAR, Reliance and Indraprashtha Gas Ltd, have shown interest to invest in in the mineral, oil and natural gas rich country.
“And these are at the negotiations stage and we hope they will mature in course of time.”
In 2010 India’s trade with the Latin American and Caribbean region was $23 billion. The outlook for the bilateral trade between the two countries has considerable potential, he said.
“Indian exports have grown exponentially from $8.8 million in 2001 to approximately $420 million in 2008-09,” he said.
He said that in the last two years bilateral trade has declined on account of shortfall of LNG exports of Trinidad and Tobago to India, and also due to global economic recession.
- India looks to Trinidad for oil, signs 5 pacts - Jan 06, 2012
- Kamla Persad-Bissessar, a 'Pravasi Bharatiya' on her way to India - Jan 01, 2012
- Trinidad and Tobago PM to visit India in January - Dec 18, 2011
- Return to roots: Trinidad PM to plant saplings in village - Jan 10, 2012
- Trinidad and Tobago PM in India from Thursday - Jan 04, 2012
- Gift of ancestral village soil awaits Trinidad PM - Jan 09, 2012
- Trinidad PM left 'lifetime' of memories for ancestral village - Jan 12, 2012
- Trinidad and Tobago PM chief guest at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas - Oct 27, 2011
- Emotions flow as Trinidad's 'daughter PM' visits Bihar village (Lead) - Jan 11, 2012
- Trinidad and Tobago keen to host mini Indian diaspora meet - Jan 08, 2012
- Emotions flow as Trinidad's 'daughter PM' visits Bihar village - Jan 11, 2012
- Trinidad and Tobago PM to visit ancestral Bihar village - Dec 30, 2011
- India to help develop Trinidad as ICT hub - Jan 27, 2012
- Trinidad and Tobago's Indian-origin PM survives no-trust vote - Mar 05, 2012
- Ahead of Trinidad polls, Indian-origin politician threatened - May 08, 2010
Tags: ancestral village, brian lara, caribbean region, chief guest, external affairs ministry, gas ltd, indian exports, indian origin, kamla, manmohan singh, ministerial delegation, ministry spokesman, open economy, persad, pravasi bharatiya, president pratibha patil, prime minister manmohan, prime minister manmohan singh, traditional medicines, trinidad and tobago