Statement by EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar at the Press Conference following Bilateral Meeting with Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith of Jamaica

I am very pleased to be in Jamaica on what I learnt was the first-ever bilateral visit by an External Affairs Minister of India. I thank the Government and people of Jamaica, and Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith in particular for a warm welcome and for very productive and forward-looking discussions that we have just concluded.

Our talks today were comprehensive, very substantive and we reviewed the entire gamut of India-Jamaica relations. We identified new avenues for further strengthening our partnership. We have as you can see signed several important agreements and we discussed effective implementations of MoUs, which have been recently concluded in the fields of digital transformation, cultural exchange, sports, and digital payments, to ensure tangible outcomes on the ground.

Development cooperation remains a very important pillar of our partnership. In this context, I was very pleased to note the successful completion and handover, in March 2026, of the "Improving Rural Livelihoods" project in Kitson Town, implemented with the assistance of India to the tune of USD 1 million under the India-UN Development Partnership Fund through UNOSSC. The project has directly benefited, I believe, over 200 individuals and has a wider positive impact on thousands in the Kitson Town community. We are currently discussing the feasibility of the establishment of an artisan empowerment hub for Jamaica as part of commitment made by us under the India-CARICOM development partnership.

India is proud to support Jamaica's recovery and reconstruction following Hurricane Melissa. As many of you witnessed this morning, there was symbolically handing over of one of the consignments of 10 BHISHM cubes. We are also in the process of supplying 30 dialysis units to strengthen health infrastructure in Jamaica. This is in continuation of earlier humanitarian assistance provided in the aftermath of the Hurricane , where over 20 tonnes of relief material was delivered through an Indian air force plane, we had also deployed a medical team to build local capacities.

These efforts reflect our commitment as a reliable development partner for disaster response.

We have been discussing expanding our cooperation in several areas of mutual interest, particularly, defence and security, healthcare, digitalisation, agriculture, education, and infrastructure. In the area of capacity building, India has significantly increased its ITEC training slots from 4 for JDF earlier to over 34 slots this year - and that speaks for our commitment to human resource development. We are also offering 46 additional slots under ITEC for various programmes and 5 scholarships under the ICCR for higher studies.

Today in our discussions, we agreed to further strengthen trade, business and investment linkages, explore cooperation for the recruitment and mobility of skilled professionals, including nurses, healthcare workers, and teachers. India also recognised Jamaica's growing role as a logistics hub and a gateway to the Caribbean for trade, business, and investment. And these were infact the very subjects which were the focus of the call that I had on Prime Minister Holness.

Our discussions also touched upon regional and global developments. As Ministers, we reaffirm our close cooperation in multilateral forums, including issues of reformed multilateralism and priorities to the Global South. India reiterates its strong support for climate justice and climate finance, as well as for the concerns of Small Island Developing States.

We discussed mutual support to multilateral candidatures. I want to say that we deeply appreciate Jamaica's support for our candidature for the non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for 2028-29. Both sides strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and we urge the early finalisation of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

We also exchanged views on the evolving geopolitical situation and underscored the importance of promoting peace, security and growth for all, in accordance with the UN Charter, respect for international law, and the need for reformed multilateralism.

We today underscored the importance of further strengthening research collaboration and joint recognition of the shared Indian heritage in Jamaica, as well as the valuable contribution of the Indian diaspora in this country to its social and economic development. We really appreciated the increase of people-to-people linkages between our two countries.And I do note the increased popularity of Yoga and Ayurveda in Jamaica.

Yesterday, I had the honour to visit the Indian Arrival Memorial along with Ministers Grange and Bartlett at Old Harbour, where I paid tribute to the enduring legacy of the Indian diaspora. I am happy to announce that we are contributing Jamaican dollars 2 milliion for the celebration of 181 years of arrival of Indians in Jamaica on the occasion of Indian Arrival Day. I also has the privilege of joining Prime Minister Holness, Minister Grange, and Minister Johnson Smith in unveiling the plaque for the electronic scoreboard at Sabina Park yesterday, which is a gift from cricket lovers of India to the cricket lovers of Jamaica. I do want to say that my interaction with members of the Indian community was particularly meaningful. Among the support which we have extended to the recovery efforts of Jamaica after Melissa, I also want to mention that we are providing 40 fishing boats and 200 GPS units which are on the way.

Let me conclude by sharing with you that later on, infact immediately after this, I will be engaging with the business community, paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, and participating in a public conversation at the University of the West Indies.

Overall, this visit, I believe marks a very important step in elevating our relations to a higher trajectory. I am confident that the outcomes of our discussions will contribute to a stronger, more dynamic, more beneficial and more trusting partnership between our two countries.

Minister, I once again thank you for your hospitality, for your warm welcome and for exceptionally good discussion with us today.

New Delhi
May 05, 2026