T&T PM Persad-Bissessar lauds PM Modi's compassion and solidarity during pandemic by sending vaccines

United News of India

19 hours ago

Port of Spain, July 4 (UNI) Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamala Persad-Bissessar has commended Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's compassion and solidarity during the Covid-19 pandemic, praising India's Vaccine Maitri initiative under which the tiny Caribbean nation received much-needed vaccines.
'When the Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to its knees, while some other countries were hoarding medical supplies, you ensured that vaccines and supplies reached even the smallest nations, including Trinidad and Tobago,' she said in an address at the Community Diaspora Event in honour of the Indian Prime Minister, held at the National Cycling Centre in Couva.
This elicited sustained applause from the hundreds gathered in the audience.
Reflecting on this, Persad-Bissessar continued, 'Through your benevolence, you brought hope and calm where there was fear. I say again, this was more than diplomacy; this was an act of kinship. 'This was an act of sheer humanity; this was an act of love, and this is one of the many reasons we are deeply proud to bestow upon you, Excellency, the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, our nation's highest honour.'
That ceremony is scheduled to take place this morning at President's House, Port of Spain.
On April 13, 2021, T&T received 40,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines after Prime Minister Modi responded to a request for assistance from Port of Spain during a period when acquiring vaccines was particularly challenging.
She told the audience that it was a 'profound honour to be graced' by one of the world's most esteemed and admired visionary leaders.'Your presence is a great inspiration to all of us, particularly to the Trinbago Indo community,' she said.
Persad-Bissessar said the relationships between both nations go beyond time and distance, as she lauded Modi for positioning his country as 'a prominent and dominant global power through visionary and futuristic initiatives.'
'We bow to you, sir,' she said.
She acknowledged his efforts in supporting the Indian diaspora and the common history shared by the two nations.
'The ties that bind India and T&T are ties of ancestors, kinship, sacrifice and love,' Persad-Bissessar said.
'We here are the grandchildren of Mother India, separated by oceans but united by love and respect. The ties that bind our two nations are truly unbreakable.'
She asked that the two countries continue this journey together, as partners, as brothers, and as sisters.
During her initial term as Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar travelled to India in January 2012, in recognition of the historical and cultural connections between the two countries, which date back to the arrival of Indian indentured labourers to T&T in 1845.
A significant aspect of her visit was her role as the Chief Guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) in Jaipur where she was honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, acknowledging her contributions and the strong relationship she embodied between the Indian diaspora and their homeland.
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