Latest news with #ModiVisit
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Indian PM Modi receives top civilian honor in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago conferred India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Carribean nation's highest civilian honor on Friday, in a first for a foreign leader. President Christine Carla Kangaloo gave Modi the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago at a ceremony at President's House in St Ann's, near the capital Port of Spain. Modi was on a two-day tour of the dual-island country as he seeks to shore up New Delhi's ties with the Caribbean and Latin America. The visit marked the Indian leader's first official trip to Trinidad and Tobago — where more than a third of the population is of Indian descent — since he came to power over a decade ago. "This honor is a symbol of the deep and eternal friendship between our two countries," Modi said. Relations between India and Trinidad and Tobago find their roots in 1845, when indentured Indian laborers first arrived to work on sugar and cocoa plantations under British colonial rule as slavery ended. Over 140,000 laborers settled in the Caribbean nation between 1845 and 1917. "India and Trinidad & Tobago rose from the shadows of colonial rule to write our destiny of progress. Our nations stand tall as proud democracies and pillars of strength in the modern world," Modi said on X. India and Trinidad & Tobago rose from the shadows of colonial rule to write our destiny of progress. Our nations stand tall as proud democracies and pillars of strength in the modern world. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 4, 2025 The Indian prime minister's visit to Trinidad and Tobago focused on boosting investment in energy, health, security and other sectors Trinidadian Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced a number of investments in medical, energy and technological infrastructure promised by her Indian counterpart. "This visit is more than just diplomacy. It marks a new dawn," she said. "India, and Trinidad and Tobago, will now work as strategic partners," Persad-Bissessar added. Modi also declared that the sixth generation of citizens of Indian origin in the dual-island nation would be eligible to receive Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards, allowing them to freely live and work in India. The Indian prime minister is currently on a five-nation diplomatic tour, covering Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia. He landed in Argentina late on Friday and is scheduled to hold talks with President Javier Milei. Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
India's Modi arrives in Trinidad and Tobago to strengthen ties in first official visit
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday for a two-day trip expected to boost investments in energy, health, security and other sectors. It is Modi's first official visit to the diverse, twin-island Caribbean nation. More than 35% of its 1.4 million inhabitants are East Indian, descendants of indentured workers brought from India during the colonial era.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
India's Modi arrives in Trinidad and Tobago to strengthen ties in first official visit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday for a two-day trip expected to boost investments in energy, health, security and other sectors. It is Modi's first official visit to the diverse, twin-island Caribbean nation. More than 35% of its 1.4 million inhabitants are East Indian, descendants of indentured workers brought from India during the colonial era. Modi said on X prior to the trip that he was 'looking forward to deepening ties with a valued partner in the Caribbean, with whom we share very old cultural linkages.' Hours before Modi landed in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad's prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, closed schools and non-essential government offices as a security measure aimed at reducing traffic. Modi was scheduled to meet with officials on Thursday evening and address both Houses of Parliament on Friday, as well as sign several agreements. While many in Trinidad and Tobago's Hindu community were excited about Modi's visit, the nation's largest Muslim organization, the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association, had its reservations. In a letter sent to a local newspaper, the association criticized Modi's government, saying it has 'emboldened religious intolerance and targeted the Muslim community' in India. 'We cannot ignore Mr. Modi's political legacy and its ramifications for Muslim communities globally,' the association said. About 18% of Trinidad and Tobago's population is Hindu, while 5% is Muslim. Modi is scheduled to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina this weekend and meet with President Javier Milei.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
India's Modi arrives in Trinidad and Tobago to strengthen ties in first official visit
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday for a two-day trip expected to boost investments in energy, health, security and other sectors. It is Modi's first official visit to the diverse, twin-island Caribbean nation. More than 35% of its 1.4 million inhabitants are East Indian, descendants of indentured workers brought from India during the colonial era. Modi said on X prior to the trip that he was 'looking forward to deepening ties with a valued partner in the Caribbean, with whom we share very old cultural linkages.' Hours before Modi landed in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad's prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, closed schools and non-essential government offices as a security measure aimed at reducing traffic. Modi was scheduled to meet with officials on Thursday evening and address both Houses of Parliament on Friday, as well as sign several agreements. While many in Trinidad and Tobago's Hindu community were excited about Modi's visit, the nation's largest Muslim organization, the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association, had its reservations. In a letter sent to a local newspaper, the association criticized Modi's government, saying it has 'emboldened religious intolerance and targeted the Muslim community' in India. 'We cannot ignore Mr. Modi's political legacy and its ramifications for Muslim communities globally,' the association said. About 18% of Trinidad and Tobago's population is Hindu, while 5% is Muslim. Modi is scheduled to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina this weekend and meet with President Javier Milei.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trinidad and Tobago's move to honor Indian PM Modi divides opinion
News that Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will receive Trinidad and Tobago's highest honour during a historic visit to the country has been welcomed by the Indo-Trinidadian Hindu population but has drawn strong objections from the country's largest Muslim organisation. Modi's two-day visit to the country on Thursday marks the first time a sitting Indian prime minister sets foot in Trinidad and Tobago. Modi accepted the invitation from the recently appointed prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who has longstanding diplomatic ties with India. India and Trinidad and Tobago share a diplomatic relationship stretching back decades and anchored in the legacy of Indian indentureship. Announcing the decision to honour Modi with the prestigious Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT) during his visit, the government described it as 'a tribute of the nation's appreciation for prime minister Modi's outstanding contribution to the development of Trinidad and Tobago; and service to the region and wider international community'. But on Wednesday the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association (ASJA) said it planned to write to the prime minister's office and the Indian high commission to express concern over the honour being extended to a political leader they say has a widely criticised human rights record. In a statement signed by general secretary Rahimool Hosein, the ASJA said it has 'deep and principled concern' about the state's legitimisation of a figure they believe has emboldened religious intolerance in India and targeted the Muslim minority. 'We cannot ignore Mr Modi's political legacy and its ramifications for Muslim communities globally,' the organisation said. The ASJA referenced the revocation of Kashmir's special status, and the 2002 Gujarat riots, during which more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat at the time, though the Indian supreme court cleared him of wrongdoing in 2022. The ASJA also pointed to continuing criticism from international human rights groups. While some Muslim communities and human rights advocates have criticised Modi's policies, he has also received state honours from several Muslim-majority countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. The ASJA said it welcomed opportunities for interfaith dialogue but were 'compelled to clarify that interfaith dialogue requires more than polite diplomacy, it necessitates justice, truth, and accountability'. About 35% to 40% of Trinidad and Tobago's population is of Indian descent, one of the largest and most prominent Indo-diasporic communities in the Caribbean. Most trace their roots to the approximately 143,000 indentured workers brought from India between 1845 and 1917 to work on sugar estates after the abolition of slavery. Leaders from the Indo-Trinidadian Hindu population have welcomed Modi's visit. 'This moment means something profound,' said Dr Devant Maharaj, a former UNC government minister and former executive member of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS), Trinidad and Tobago's largest Hindu organisation. Describing Modi as a 'hero', Maharaj said: 'It is not just about politics or diplomacy. It is about the reawakening of a people who were once scattered but never severed. For Indo-Trinidadian Hindus, Modi's India feels like a karmic realignment – a mother remembering her children, and the children looking homeward with both awe and affirmation.' Under Modi's leadership, India has sought to deepen ties with the Caribbean. Earlier this year, he visited the oil-rich Caribbean nation of Guyana, where he met with President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and other leaders from the Caribbean Community (Caricom), an intergovernmental organisation of 15 Caribbean nations, at a Caricom-India Summit. On social media, there have been mixed reactions to the visit, with some people supporting diplomatic ties and others questioning the logic behind the ORTT honour. Modi's trip to Trinidad and Tobago is said to be a part of a broader diplomatic tour spanning Africa and the Americas. After departing Port of Spain on 4 July, the prime minister will travel to Argentina, Brazil and Namibia. The Guardian has contacted Persad-Bissessar's office for comment and the Indian high commission in Trinidad and Tobago.
