Georgetown:
In a historic moment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Parliament in Guyana today. He is the first Indian prime minister in 56 years to visit the Caribbean nation. In his speech, PM Modi emphasised on the special bond between the two nations as highlighted the age-old ties which exist from the first Indians who migrated over 180 years ago.
PM Modi began his address to the parliamentarians in Guyana by saying, “I am here today in the capacity of India’s Prime Minister, but I’ve come to your beautiful country before – 24 years ago – as someone who was curious to know more about your country, its people, and the Caribbean region.”
“India and Guyana share a deep bond – a relationship of trust, hard work, and mutual respect,” PM Modi said in his opening remarks. He further noted that the two nations share common democratic values, and that, he said, is the way forward.
“For the world today, the strongest mantra to move forward is ‘Democracy First-Humanity First’,” he said. The prime minister, who had said over a year ago that ‘This is not an era for war’, today added to it by saying, “This is an era of cooperation, not conflict”, as he explained further that “Democracy is the way forward, not expansionism.”
