Georgetown, Guyana – In a gesture of warmth and solidarity, Guyana’s Prime Minister Brigadier (Retd.) Mark Anthony Phillips hosted a dinner reception for the visiting Indian all-party parliamentary delegation on Sunday evening (local time). The reception, which followed a series of high-level diplomatic engagements, marked a key moment in the strengthening of India-Guyana bilateral relations.
The delegation, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was warmly welcomed upon arrival, and later engaged in meaningful dialogue with the Prime Minister. PM Phillips, a former military officer and national leader, exchanged views with delegation members on a range of issues — from counterterrorism cooperation to economic and diaspora ties.
Earlier in the day, the Indian delegation met with Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo, who extended strong support for India’s position on cross-border terrorism, expressing that perpetrators must be brought to justice. In response, Tharoor described the conversation as “phenomenal” and referred to Jagdeo as “a good friend of the nation.”
“He showed a tremendous amount of understanding for our (India’s) position on the current events with our neighbour,” Tharoor told media, referring to Pakistan’s role in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
The discussions with both the Prime Minister and Vice-President of Guyana also ventured beyond security concerns. Tharoor highlighted India’s potential role in Guyana’s development boom, especially in light of its oil and gas discoveries.
“There was a very clear signal that India would be welcome and Indians would be welcome to participate… from infrastructure to telecoms,” Tharoor noted.
The all-party delegation includes:
- Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party)
- Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha)
- G M Harish Balayagi (Telugu Desam Party)
- Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, Bhubaneswar K Lata (BJP)
- Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena)
- Taranjit Singh Sandhu, former Indian Ambassador to the US
The delegation represents India’s national unity against terrorism and is tasked with projecting India’s firm stance on zero-tolerance for terrorism. They are part of India’s coordinated global outreach following the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7, which came as a military response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Indian armed forces targeted and neutralized over 100 terrorists from Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen by striking terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
This mission in Guyana reflects India’s strategic effort to build global consensus, garner diplomatic backing, and explore economic partnerships amid evolving geopolitical dynamics.