Indian HC Amit Telang visits St Kitts and Nevis, aims to expand collaboration

St Kitts and Nevis: The newly appointed High Commissioner of the Republic of India to Guyana, Amit Telang, paid a courtesy call St Kitts and Nevis and presented his credentials to Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew and had a meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Denzil Douglas.

Telang visited St Kitts and Nevis on Tuesday and met the leaders at Government Headquarters, Church Street Basseterre.

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During the meeting, their discussions revolved around the twin-island nation's Sustainable Island Developing State agenda while highlighting the commitment of both countries towards resilient development.

The Indian HC and the Ministers also talked about joint efforts to tackle climate change with expertise sharing and finding resources to lessen its impact on St Kitts and Nevis.

[caption id="attachment_67442" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] PM Drew with the Indian HC and other officials on Tuesday (PC - SKNIS)[/caption]

In addition to this, other areas were discussed, including food security, technology and training initiatives. The meeting showcases that St Kitts and Nevis is on the path to increasing international relations.

Amit Telang replaces Dr K J Srinivasa

Telang replaced Dr K J Srinivasa, who reportedly was not making enough efforts, and there was a row of complaints against him from the general public, which pushed the authorities to announce a change of his position.

Srinivasa completed his four-year tenure on August 13, 2023, following which he was removed, and Telang took over in September 2023.

The Indian officials, as well as the Guyanese officials, have high hopes for the new High Commissioner, and they expect that he will work smoothly while in coordination with the Caribbean leaders.

Within a short term of his assuming the position, Telang is proving to maintain better cooperation with the Caribbean, especially with Guyana and St Kitts and Nevis.

According to the reports, Telang stated that India and the Caribbean region have been cooperating on several aspects of education and capacity building and vowed to deepen India's relations with the Caribbean island.

Meanwhile, on December 20, Dr Amit Telang presented his credentials to H.E. Dr Carla Barnett, Secretary General of CARICOM in Georgetown, Guyana, reiterating his commitment to expanding cooperation between India and the Caribbean community member states with an emphasis on South-South cooperation.

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India must accept Non-Resident Ambassadors

On the other hand, it is also being said that the Indian government must begin to consider non-resident ambassadors in India.

A Georgia-based news provider, Georgia Online, mentioned that a former diplomat, Mark George, has voiced his opinion that several small nations are now considering non-resident ambassadors in India and that India must also start doing the same.

George stressed the fact that a balance should be maintained by India, and while putting a traditional emphasis on only resident ambassadors, they must extend their diplomatic reach by appointing non-resident ambassadors.

The foreign diplomat said that appointing non-resident ambassadors could provide the countries with a practical approach to maintaining diplomatic relations. This was also ensure that their small countries were properly represented and their concerns were addressed appropriately.

While putting it into simple words, Georgia Online mentioned that it is quite significant for India to consider accepting non-resident ambassadors from nations which have only a small number of population living in India.

It added that although these nations might not have a large population in India, their citizens still have some concerns which need to be addressed, and for this, they will rely better on someone from their own country.

It will also enable the Indian government to gain better trust and strengthen its relations with all the countries worldwide.