Above: the Indian delegation to the CARICOM meeting

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Caribbean and India are getting closer.

CARICOM and India held their first-ever joint commission on Tuesday in Guyana at CARICOM Headquarters.

The landmark meeting was led by Vice Minister and Special Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs of India R. Swaminathan and CARICOM Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque.

The CARICOM SG said India was an “important partner” to the region, with embassies and high commissions already set up in four CARICOM states: Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, along with an accredited CARICOM ambassador.

India has “Well-established its presence in the region,” LaRocque said.

The joint commission is the latest between CARICOM and a large global partner, including recent commissions with the US, Chile, Turkey and China, among others.

India and CARICOM first established their joint commission in 2003, although it took 12 years for the first official meeting.