New Delhi

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday conveyed his greetings to Saint Lucia’s Foreign Minister Alva Baptiste, as the Caribbean nation marked its National Day.

In a message shared on social media platform X, Jaishankar congratulated the government and people of Saint Lucia and expressed optimism about the future of bilateral relations. “Felicitations to FM Alva Baptiste, the Government and people of Saint Lucia on their National Day. Confident of India–Saint Lucia ties strengthening further,” he wrote.

India and Saint Lucia share warm and friendly relations and work closely together in multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the Non-Aligned Movement, among others. Diplomatic engagement between the two countries has remained active through regular high-level interactions.

On the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024, Jaishankar met Saint Lucia’s Foreign Minister Alva Baptiste to discuss issues of mutual interest. Earlier, in August 2024, Saint Lucia’s Minister of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Shawn A. Edward, participated in the Education Ministers’ Session of the third Voice of the Global South Summit.

In November 2023, Saint Lucia’s Minister of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs, Moses Baptiste, took part in a virtual Health Ministers’ session of the same summit, hosted by India. In January 2023, Shawn Edward also joined the Education Ministers’ meeting under the Voice of the Global South framework.

Diplomatic exchanges have also included a meeting between Alva Baptiste and Jaishankar at the India–COFCOR meeting in Guyana in April 2023. Additionally, India’s Additional Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, G.V. Srinivas, called on the Saint Lucian Foreign Minister on the margins of the ACS AEC Ministerial Meeting held in Paramaribo in May.

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Cultural ties between the two nations have also been nurtured over the years. The Indian Cultural Foundation (ICF) of Saint Lucia, in collaboration with the Indian mission in Paramaribo, has organised initiatives such as the ‘Namaste Saint Lucia’ cultural event. In 2022, the ICF also observed the International Day of Yoga as part of India’s 75th Independence celebrations.