India, Central American Integration System hold virtual dialogue, identify areas of cooperation
New Delhi, June 19 (UNI) India and the Central American Integration System (SICA) held a Virtual Dialogue on June 18, during which they identified areas of cooperation including Food and Nutritional security, Health, Connectivity, Agriculture and Digital Transformation.
The SICA representatives thanked India for its support in times of need such as the COVID Pandemic and other natural disasters affecting the region.
The Indian side was led by Additional Secretary, Rajesh Vaishnaw. SICA was represented by the Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs of the Republic of Costa Rica, Alejandro Solano, Director of International Cooperation of the SICA Secretariat, Carmen Marroquin, and Senior Officials and Representatives of the SICA Member countries. The current Pro-Tempore Presidency of SICA lies with Costa Rica and will be handed over to Panama later this year.
Additional Secretary, in his intervention, underlined that the India SICA relationship is built on a strong foundation of mutual respect, shared values of democracy and sustainable development, and strong commitment to South-South cooperation. India has actively supported a number of initiatives in this region through its development cooperation programmes, including the ITEC capacity-building platform, Quick Impact Projects (QIPs), and the dedicated SME grant programme.
Additional Secretary highlighted India's success in Digital Transformation, Affordable Healthcare and Medicines, Disaster Resilience and Renewable Energy stating that India is willing to cooperate further in these areas with the SICA member countries for shared prosperity and sustainable development, a statement said.
The representatives from SICA Secretariat and the SICA Member countries appreciated India's proactive role in fostering global South-South cooperation. They mentioned that the India SICA cooperation will deepen further through sustained political dialogue and regional cooperation initiatives.
Main areas of cooperation were identified as Food and Nutritional security, Health, Connectivity, Agriculture, Digital Transformation, Energy, Trade and Investment.
The representatives from SICA thanked India for its support in times of need such as the COVID Pandemic and other natural disasters affecting the region.
The Central American Integration System (SICA) is the institutional framework of Regional Integration in Central America, created by the States of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. Subsequently, Belize joined afterwards as a full member; in 2013, The Dominican Republic did likewise. SICA's General Secretariat headquarters are located in the Republic of El Salvador.
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