Key Points

During the virtual dialogue, productive discussions were held on multiple areas of India-SICA cooperation.

Sharing pictures of the virtual dialogue, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaishwal, wrote on X, "India-SICA Virtual Dialogue led by Addl. Secretary Mr. Rajesh Vaishnaw from the Indian side & Mr. Alejandro Solano, Vice Minister of Costa Rica and Ms. Carmen Marroquin, Director of Intl. Cooperation @sg_sica from SICA took place on 18th June."

"Main areas of cooperation were identified as Food and Nutritional Security, Health, Connectivity, Agriculture, Digital Transformation, Energy, Trade and Investment," the post added.

The Indian side was led by Additional Secretary, Rajesh Vaishnaw. SICA was represented at the Virtual Dialogue by the Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs of the Republic of Costa Rica, Alejandro Solano, Director of International Cooperation of the SICA Secretariat, Ms. Carmen Marroquin, and Senior Officials and Representatives of the SICA Member countries. The current Pro-Tempore Presidency of SICA lies with Costa Rica and will be handed over to Panama later this year, MEA said in a release.

"Additional Secretary, in his intervention, underlined that the India SICA relationship is built on a strong foundation of mutual respect, shared values of democracy and sustainable development, and strong commitment to South-South cooperation. India has actively supported a number of initiatives in this region through its development cooperation programmes, including the ITEC capacity-building platform, Quick Impact Projects (QIPs), and the dedicated SME grant programme. Additional Secretary highlighted India's success in Digital Transformation, Affordable Healthcare and Medicines, Disaster Resilience and Renewable Energy stating that India is willing to cooperate further in these areas with the SICA member countries for shared prosperity and sustainable development," release added.

The release further stated that the representatives from SICA Secretariat and the SICA Member countries appreciated India's proactive role in fostering global South-South cooperation.

"They mentioned that the India SICA cooperation will deepen further through sustained political dialogue and regional cooperation initiatives. Main areas of cooperation were identified as Food and Nutritional security, Health, Connectivity, Agriculture, Digital Transformation, Energy, Trade and Investment. The representatives from SICA thanked India for its support in times of need such as the COVID Pandemic and other natural disasters affecting the region," MEA release said.

- ANI