Visit of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to Trinidad and Tobago (May 08-09, 2026)

External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar paid an official visit to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) on May 8-9, 2026.

2. During the visit, EAM was received by Mr Sean Sobers, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs with a flag-raising ceremony at the Ministry headquarters. EAM called on Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and had a wide-ranging discussion on various areas of bilateral collaboration and explored new avenues for cooperation.

3. EAM visited the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago where his presence was acknowledged and PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar delivered a statement in his honour. EAM also called on Mr Wade Mark, President of the Senate and Mr Jagdeo Singh, Speaker of the House of Representatives and discussed bilateral parliamentary cooperation.

4. A total of 8 MoUs were signed between the two sides in the areas of tourism, solarization of T&T's Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs building, vector control, infrastructure upgrade of Nelson Island where the Indian immigrants were stayed initially, and for setting up of an Indian Chair on Ayurveda at the University of the West Indies.

5. Both sides took stock of various announcements made by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his visit to Trinidad and Tobago in July 2025. In the presence of PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar, EAM handed over the first set of 2,000 laptops to select school children and inaugurated an agro-processing facility of T&T's National Agriculture Marketing and Development Corporation in Couva for which USD 1 million machinery was handed over by PM Modi last year.

6. The two sides acknowledged the importance of collaboration in the field of healthcare and pharmaceuticals. They noted successful completion of Artificial Limb Fitment Camp (Jaipur Foot) in T&T for 800 beneficiaries as announced by PM Modi last year. PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar and EAM jointly inaugurated National Prosthetics Centre of T&T in Penal.

7. Both sides discussed expanding cooperation in priority sectors including infrastructure, security, forensics, healthcare, tracing the Girmitiya heritage, capacity building, etc. Both sides reviewed existing agreements on pharmacopoeia, digital transformation, culture, etc and emphasized the importance of ensuring tangible outcomes. They reaffirmed close coordination in regional and multilateral fora, including on issues relating to the Global South.

8. EAM paid respects at Mahatma Gandhi's Bust at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Cooperation (MGICC). He visited the Dattatreya Mandir and Hanuman Murti in Central Trinidad.

9. EAM appreciated determination and resilience of Girmitya ancestors who continue to inspire generations and are the bedrock of special relations between India and Trinidad and Tobago. EAM addressed a large gathering of Indian diaspora where he shared various aspects of India's development story and underscored the importance of availing various opportunities there.

10. The visit imparted a fresh impetus to the relations between India-Trinidad and Tobago and paved way for further strengthening bilateral cooperation.

Port of Spain
May 10, 2026