New York, Sep 26
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has offered India’s expertise to Central American countries in the fields of digital payment system, information technology, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture to tackle shared problems.
At the Fifth India-SICA Foreign Ministers Meeting here on Thursday, he said, “Our countries face similar challenges, of development, poverty alleviation, and climate change, and we can address these more effectively if we address them togetherâ€.
He said, “We believe that we can make this partnership one of tangible outcomes which will contribute to a more inclusive, balanced and multipolar world orderâ€.
“We would like certainly to move forward in the digital area, in renewable energy, in food and health security, and in climate actionâ€, he added.
The eight-member group, Central American Integration System , known by the acronym SICA, derived from its name in Spanish, works towards regional economic and political cooperation.
India began working with the group at the ministerial level in 2004.
Jaishankar said that India’s cooperation wth the group has deepened significantly as together they made progress in addressing challenges such as post-pandemic recovery, energy security, digital transformation, financing for development, and climate change.
He pitched the digital payments interface, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) developed by India, which has “had great success in ensuring a seamless, real-time, and secure method of transferring fundsâ€.
"Today, more than half the world’s cashless payments in the world take place in India because of this†system, he said.
He said that India’s private sector is showing interest in investing in SICA countries, particularly in agriculture, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and IT, which are “sectors where India has been historically very strongâ€.
As the world fights climate change, “many of our companies have developed a footprint in these three areas – solar, green hydrogen and bioenergy -- across the world, he said about other areas of possible cooperation.
Jaishankar recalled that during the Covid pandemic, India strengthened its bonds with the region by supplying vaccines and said that India is ready to work with SICA to strengthen public health systems and to support affordable healthcare.
When the SICA countries suffered widespread damage to infrastructure and livelihoods from storms last year, India rushed essential medicines, relief materials, and emergency aid “as a gesture of solidarityâ€, he said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Great to see India taking global leadership in areas where we excel. Our pharmaceutical industry and IT sector can really make a difference in developing nations. More power to our foreign policy!
While this sounds promising, I hope we're also focusing on our domestic challenges. We should ensure our own healthcare and agricultural systems are robust before exporting expertise.
India's vaccine diplomacy during COVID was commendable. Continuing this partnership approach shows our commitment to global solidarity. This is the kind of soft power that makes us proud!
UPI going global is fantastic! I've been using it for everything from chai to car payments. If other countries adopt it, Indian tourists and businesses will benefit too. ðŸ‘
Interesting development. India's renewable energy expertise could be particularly valuable for Central American countries dealing with climate challenges. Win-win partnership.
Hope this leads to more educational and cultural exchanges too. We have so much to learn from each other's traditions and approaches to development.
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