Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Friday conferred with 'The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago', becoming the first foreign leader to receive the Caribbean country's highest civilian honour.
This is the 25th international honour bestowed upon PM Modi by a country.
In a special ceremony at the President's House, President Christine Carla Kangaloo conferred upon Prime Minister Modi the highest national award of Trinidad and Tobago for his statesmanship, for championing the priorities of the Global South and for his exceptional contribution to strengthening the relationship between the two countries.
Modi, who is on a two-day visit to the Caribbean nation, expressed his gratitude to the government and the people for being honoured with the highest national award.
"I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you, your government, and the people for honouring me with the highest national award, the ‘Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago'," Modi said after receiving the award.
"This honour is a symbol of the eternal and deep friendship between our two countries. I accept this honour on behalf of 140 crore Indians as a shared pride,” he said as he dedicated the honour to the enduring bonds of friendship between the two countries.
Modi said the conferment of this honour on a foreign leader for the first time reflects the deep bilateral ties, which are based on our shared history and cultural heritage.
“I also see this honour as a responsibility towards our relations. As a close and trusted partner, we have continued to emphasise skill development and capacity building for the people of Trinidad and Tobago,” the prime minister said.
"It is a matter of great pride that the Indian community has preserved our shared traditions, culture, and customs to this day. President Kangaloo Ji and Prime Minister Kamla Ji are the biggest brand ambassadors of this community,” he said.
PM Modi underlined that these special ties were based on shared history and cultural heritage forged by Indians who arrived in the country 180 years ago. He affirmed his commitment to further deepening the bilateral partnership between India and Trinidad & Tobago, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
"Cultural ties between the two countries are visible at every step. President Kangaloo's ancestors were from the land of Saint Thiruvalluvar, in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
“Saint Thiruvalluvar once said that strong nations must possess six qualities — a valiant army, patriotic citizens, abundant resources, good public representatives, strong defence, and loyal allies who always stand by them,” he added.
After conferring the award, President Kangaloo said, “Trinidad and Tobago is immensely glad to have been able to bestow upon you our nation's highest honour in recognition of the tremendous work that you have done with our nation over the years and for the kindness and the generosity which you have always shown to our country and indeed our region.” “Your kindness and generosity to the people of Trinidad and Tobago are legendary,” she added.
Kangaloo said that during the crisis of Covid-19 pandemic, 40,000 vaccine doses arrived in Trinidad and Tobago “as a result of your personal intervention and action”.
“That act of kindness only further strengthened the longstanding relationship between the governments and people of both of our countries,” she added.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, members of her Cabinet, Members of Parliament and other dignitaries.
Modi said Trinidad and Tobago is not only a CARICOM partner for India but also an important partner globally. “Our cooperation is significant for the entire Global South,” he added.
CARICOM, the Caribbean Community, is a regional political and economic union of 15 states and five associated members.
The award was announced on Thursday by Trinidad and Tobago prime minister, who described Modi's visit as a moment of shared pride and historical connection.
This is Modi's first visit to the country as prime minister and the first Indian bilateral visit at the prime ministerial level to Trinidad and Tobago since 1999.
Modi arrived here from Ghana, where he was conferred with ‘The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana', the country's national honour.
The award was conferred on the prime minister in recognition of his 'distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership', the MEA said.
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