Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, for a bilateral discussion in Georgetown, Guyana.
The meeting, held during PM Modi’s visit to Guyana, is part of India’s ongoing engagement with Caribbean nations to strengthen ties and foster cooperation.
India and the Commonwealth of Dominica have enjoyed traditionally cordial bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1981. While Dominica does not maintain a diplomatic mission in India, it is concurrently accredited to India’s mission in Port of Spain.
The relationship has been marked by numerous high-level exchanges, including interactions between Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Skerrit during the India-CARICOM Leaders’ Meeting in New York in September 2019, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Additionally, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar held tele-talks with Dominica’s Foreign Minister Kenneth Darroux on April 30, 2020, addressing the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, Vince Henderson, Dominica’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, also participated in several key events, including the India-COFCOR Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Georgetown, and the India-UN for Global South event during India’s G20 Presidency in New York.
India has been proactive in supporting Dominica’s development, exemplified through the India-UNDP Project in Kalinago. The project, initiated in February 2021 with a USD 1 million grant, aimed to strengthen sustainable livelihoods and resilience in the Kalinago community.
Earlier in 2024, India committed an additional USD 1 million for the second phase of the Community Resilience Project. Furthermore, India’s Vaccine Maitri initiative resulted in the donation of 70,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to Dominica, which were personally received by Prime Minister Skerrit in February 2021. The Government of India has also provided medical supplies, including aid during the Covid-19 pandemic and grant-in-aid medicines for public hospitals in 2016.
The Indian diaspora in Dominica includes nearly 70 Indian nationals engaged in retail businesses and medical professions, especially in Ross Medical University. Approximately 500 people of Indian-origin currently reside in the island nation, further strengthening the cultural and people-to-people ties between the two countries. (ANI)