Remarks by EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar at the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago (May 08, 2026)

Hon'ble Sean Sobers, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs

Colleagues from the Foreign Ministries of both countries,

High Commissioner, Chief of Protocol,

Mr. Brian Lara,

Mr. Ajay Patel

Dear friends,

Namaste! Good Afternoon!

It is really a great pleasure to be back in Trinidad and Tobago and to be at the campus of this Ministry today.

I sincerely thank you, Minister, and your Government, your Ministry for this honour which you have done me. And for extending warm hospitality to me and my delegation.

As you have noted, India has traditionally had very warm and friendly relations with Trinidad and Tobago, and these ties have been underpinned by shared history, our struggle against colonialism and by our very special bonds of Cricket.

In fact, the people of our two countries share so much in common, whether we talk of clothing and sports or food habits and traditions. I know that festivals like Diwali, Phagwa, Eid, etc are celebrated here with great enthusiasm , and our music, dance, I believe even TV Serials and movies quite popular. We do have a deep appreciation of each other's culture. But, if there is a special dimension to our ties, it is of course, Cricket, and I want to say it's no secret, we Indians have long been big fans of West Indian Cricketers. I am sure Mr. Lara would testify to it.

In fact, when I was coming here, I was told that from the campus of this Ministry, we could see your house, and I said, well, that's a great honour, but I didn't realise the honour would be even greater seeing you in person. And really, what better start can one hope for on a visit! But, I also do want to mention that the current generation of players from your country remain very popular in India, and the names of Sunil Narine, who by the way, had an exceptionally good match today in the IPL, and Keiron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran come to mind.

Friends, this is my third visit to your beautiful country. I look forward to very fruitful discussions with you, Minister, and with the leadership of Trinidad and Tobago today and tomorrow. I also hope to see something beyond office rooms and perhaps enjoy some of your local delicacies, I believe the famous doubles is what people look forward to.

So, once again, really, I thank you for your warm welcome. I thank you for this great honour, and I really cannot think of starting off a visit on a better note than what you have structured today for me. Thank you very much.

Port of Spain
May 08, 2026