St Vincent and the Grenadines to open diplomatic mission in New Delhi

The Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, has stated that his country will expand diplomatic relations with India and open a mission in the capital city New Delhi. The announcement comes after the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind recently concluded his Caribbean tour, including a visit to SVG.

The Indian President Ram Nath Kovind addressed MPs in a special session of the SVG parliament on Thursday in Kingstown, after which the SVG PM Gonsalves delivered the announcement.

St Vincent intends to develop bilateral trade with India and build a diplomatic office in Delhi by 2023, according to Gonsalves. The goal, according to the Prime Minister, is to boost investment and trade.

Since his visit to India in September, Gonsalves said the friendship between Delhi and Kingstown had increased.

The President highlighted boosting collaboration in IT, health, education, tourism, and culture during his visit to St Vincent. The two countries have inked Memorandums of Understanding for information exchange and tax collection assistance.

During his three-day state visit, the President took part in a street renaming ceremony and planted a sandalwood sapling in the botanical gardens. Before visiting St Vincent, he had earlier visited Jamaica.

The visit of President Ram Nath Kovind was originally planned for March but was postponed due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which trapped nearly 15,000 Indian people.