'Renewable energy is our collective interest': EAM S Jaishankar at 4th CARICOM-India meeting

During the fourth India-CARICOM (Caribbean Community and Common Market) ministerial meeting held in Guyana on Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the need for "collective interest" in the field of renewable energy amid climate change.

"Energy, renewable energy particularly, is our collective interest. Many of you are members of the International Solar Alliance. I think 13 members are there from the CARICOM. I believe it's been of some help in capacity building, in some cases even funding. I'll be again open to take that help. Regarding capacity building as a whole, we have for many years now, under what we call, the India Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program," Jaishankar said, as per news agency ANI.

The foreign minister, however, acknowledged that there has been a weak uptake in programs, exchanges, and scholarships.

"My suggestion which I would like you to consider is, instead of our inviting you to participate in a general course, which we are doing globally for everybody, can we actually take domains or area specific areas which are of specific interest to the CARICOM. And we are prepared to customize programs in whatever area, which are completely dedicated only to the requirements of CARICOM officials or users as the case may be," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar also had separate bilateral meetings on Friday with counterparts from Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Grenada, and Barbados.

During the bilateral meetings, the minister touched upon various issues including expanding cooperation, trade, climate change, digital transformation, health domains, agriculture, and the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Jaishankar, on his first visit to Guyana, said that this year India has the privilege of chairing the G-20 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very clear that "we will be there not just for ourselves but also for the countries, who are not on the G-20 table," PTI reported.

"This is really a time when we should really be looking at global problems and our own problems and seeing how we can find a solution together," he said.

Jaishankar began his nine-day trip to Guyana, Panama, Colombia and the Dominican Republic on Friday.

(With agency inputs)

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