VP of India starts his Five day visit to Latin America

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday reached Guatemala as part of his three-nation visit to Latin America.

The Vice President was received by the Foreign Minister of Guatemala, Sandra Jovel and the Ambassador of India to Guatemala Sajeev Babu Kurup at the airport.

He inspected a guard of honour on his arrival in Guatemala City.

Naidu is on a five-day visit to Latin America’s Guatemala, Peru and Panama commencing from May 6. This is the Vice President’s first overseas visit after assuming office last year.

He is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Minister of State (MoS) for Tribal Affairs Jasvantsinh Sumanbahi Bhabhor, four Members of Parliament and senior officers of the Government of India, as said in a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on May 3.

A range of bilateral issues including the strengthening of institutional mechanisms for political interactions, multilateral matters, trade and commerce, investments, information technology, capacity building, traditional medicines, space, defence, and culture are expected to be discussed during his visit.

The Vice President is scheduled to have bilateral meetings with the Guatemalan President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the Guatemalan Parliament and the Mayor of the city of Antigua Guatemala, which is an ancient city near Guatemala City.

The discussions are expected to focus on mutual areas of cooperation. Some of the sectors also likely to be discussed also includes protection of wildlife.

A very good example is the protection of Jaguar population in Guatemala, along with the tiger population in India on human resource training and development. India have already provided ITEC training courses in Guatemala.

An interest in learning English from India and information technologies will be an important area of focus and of exchanging know-how on training institutes. The visit will enhance the existing relations between India and Guatemala.

Guatemala is the biggest country in Central America in terms of population and economy. It has a population of 16.6 million. India-Guatemala relations have traditionally been cordial and friendly over the years.

The bilateral trade has grown consistently and within few years, it has grown from USD 152 million to USD 263 million.

The visit of Naidu is the highest ever from either side, which is a special marker. It will focus on exploring various areas of mutual cooperation.