India trusted partner in Jamaica’s development journey: PM Modi

New Delhi: India has been a “trusted partner” in Jamaica’s development journey and it is ready to share expertise in a range of areas, including digital public infrastructure, biofuel, innovation and health with the Caribbean nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

The PM made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

In his media statement, Modi said he and Holness also discussed regional and global issues and agreed that all tensions and disputes should be resolved through talks and that both sides will continue to work towards ensuring global peace and security.

India and Jamaica are unanimous that reform of all global institutions, including the UN Security Council, is necessary, he said.

PM Modi said India has been a “trusted and committed” development partner in Jamaica’s growth journey and it will remain so.

“We are ready to share our experience with Jamaica in areas of digital public infrastructure, biofuel, innovation, health, education and agriculture,” he said.

In the defence sphere, we will move forward on imparting training and capacity building of Jamaica’s armed forces, PM Modi said.

The PM also identified organised crime, drug trafficking, terrorism as common challenges facing both nations.

India-Jamaica relations are based on shared history, democratic values and strong people-to-people ties, he added.

Holness arrived here on Monday. It is the first-ever bilateral visit of a Prime Minister of Jamaica to India.

In what can be termed as a move to further strengthen the relations, Modi also announced the renaming of the road in front of the Jamaican High Commission in New Delhi as ‘Jamaica Road’.

PM Modi said it ‘will pave the path for India-Jamaica deep friendship and cooperation for future generations’. New Delhi also officially opened the Jamaican High Commission. The High Commission features artistic displays of iconic Jamaican personalities, places, landscapes, food and culture.

Addressing the media, PM Modi also stressed on enhancing Jamaica’s defence sector. “In the field of defence, we will move forward on training and capacity building of Jamaica’s army by India. Organised crime, drug trafficking and terrorism are our common challenges. We agree to face these challenges together. We will also be happy to share our successful experience in the space sector with Jamaica,” he said.