Jamaican PM Andrew Holness arrives in New Delhi on his maiden visit

Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness arrived in New Delhi on Monday at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking his first-ever visit to India.

The Jamaican PM was warmly received by Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary.

Sharing the update of his arrival, Minstry of External Affairs spokeperson, Randhir Jaiswal wrote, “India-Jamaica: Creating new milestones PM @AndrewHolnessJM of Jamaica arrives in New Delhi today on his maiden visit to India. Warmly received by MoS @FinMinIndia @mppchaudhary.”

Jamaica PM is on an official visit to India from September 30- October 3, a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs said.

This will be his first visit to India, and also the first ever bilateral visit of a Prime Minister of Jamaica to India. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Holness have met several times on the sidelines of multilateral meetings.

During the visit, Holness will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi and call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar.

The visit will also provide an opportunity to Holness to meet with other dignitaries and interact with trade and industry leaders. A number of MoUs are expected to be signed during the visit giving a fillip to bilateral cooperation.

India and Jamaica share strong historical and cultural linkages, reflected in their shared colonial past, values of democracy and freedom, and passion for cricket, the statement said.

This visit is expected to bolster bilateral relations, enhance economic cooperation, and solidify the longstanding bonds between Jamaica and India, the statement added.

Earlier on June 5, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked his Jamaica’s counterpart Kamina Johnson Smith after the latter wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his third consecutive victory in the Lok Sabha elections and said that she looks forward to continuing strengthening bilateral cooperation and working together on issues important to the Global South.

In a post on X, Holness stated, “Congratulations to Prime Minister @narendramodi as he prepares to embark on a historic third term as India’s head of government.”

In response, PM Modi thanked Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and said he looks forward to working together for the welfare of the people of the two countries.