PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday for a two-day journey anticipated to spice up investments in power, well being, safety and different sectors.
It’s Modi’s first official go to to the various, twin-island Caribbean nation. Greater than 35% of its 1.4 million inhabitants are East Indian, descendants of indentured staff introduced from India in the course of the colonial period.
Modi mentioned on X previous to the journey that he was “wanting ahead to deepening ties with a valued associate within the Caribbean, with whom we share very previous cultural linkages.”
Hours earlier than Modi landed in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad’s prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, closed colleges and non-essential authorities workplaces as a safety measure geared toward lowering site visitors.
Modi was scheduled to fulfill with officers on Thursday night and handle each Homes of Parliament on Friday, in addition to signal a number of agreements.
Whereas many in Trinidad and Tobago’s Hindu neighborhood have been enthusiastic about Modi’s go to, the nation’s largest Muslim group, the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Affiliation, had its reservations. In a letter despatched to a neighborhood newspaper, the affiliation criticized Modi’s authorities, saying it has “emboldened non secular intolerance and focused the Muslim neighborhood” in India.
“We can’t ignore Mr. Modi’s political legacy and its ramifications for Muslim communities globally,” the affiliation mentioned.
About 18% of Trinidad and Tobago’s inhabitants is Hindu, whereas 5% is Muslim.
Modi is scheduled to journey to Buenos Aires, Argentina this weekend and meet with President Javier Milei.
