New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit North and South America for the first time since assuming office in 2019, in a bid to boost bilateral ties.
According to official sources, Jaishankar will be paying an official visit to Guyana between April 21-23, Panama (April 24-25), Colombia (April 25-27) and Dominican Republic (April 27-29).
In Guyana, he will call on the leadership and interact with several ministers.
Jaishankar will also co-chair a joint commission meeting with his counterpart Hugh Hilton Todd, during which discussions would be held on the whole gamut of issues between the two countries.
The visit to Guyana will also be an opportunity for a meeting of Foreign Ministers in the India-COFCOR (Council on Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), a group of 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM)) format and hold bilateral meetings with participating ministers.
In Panama, Jaishankar will be hosted by his counterpart Janaina Tewaney Mencomo.
During the visit, the India-SICA foreign ministerial meeting will also be convened wherein he would meet representatives of the eight-country Central American Integration System (SICA).
Jaishankar’s Colombia visit would be the first foreign ministerial-level visit to the country.
He is scheduled to meet several top representatives of the government, business and civil society.
Foreign Minister of Colombia Alvaro Leyva Duran and Jaishankar will review bilateral ties.
The visit to the Dominican Republic is the highest-level visit from India since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1999.
Jaishankar’s visit takes place after the establishment of India’s resident Embassy in Santo Domingo in 2022, an official statement said.
Apart from calling on the country’s political leadership, the Foreign Minister will be holding discussions with his counterpart Roberto Alvarez.
The two leaders will also formally inaugurate the Indian resident mission.
Jaishankar is also expected to address the Dominican Republic Foreign Ministry.
His visit to these four countries will provide an opportunity to continue high-level contacts 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, sources informed.
IANS
