THE High Commissioner-designate of the Republic of India to Saint Lucia, Satender Kumar, has pledged to continue building on the strong diplomatic ties that Saint Lucia and India share.
Kumar’s comments were made last Thursday at Government House, when he presented his credentials to the Acting Governor-General of Saint Lucia, McDonald Dixon.
At the ceremony, Ambassador Kumar said Saint Lucia’s support at international forums has been invaluable.
“At the United Nations and other international [forums], we have cooperated closely in the spirit of mutual respect and shared similar values on important international issues. Saint Lucia’s support to the firm conviction of India, G4 and L69 group, that the expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of the security council is imperative to better reflect contemplative realties and achieve a more accountable representative, transparent and more importantly, a relevant security council is a testimony to our warm and friendly relations.”
The ambassador also thanked the government and people of Saint Lucia for the warm treatment of the Indian community on island.
India offers 15 opportunities for training and skills development annually through its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme. Saint Lucia has used the training opportunities in the subject areas of e-government, energy, and information technology.
Mr.Dixon, said India’s aid to Saint Lucia is much appreciated.
“Your Excellency, through south-south cooperation and its firm commitment to developing countries, India has continually offered cooperation programmes to Saint Lucia aimed at enhancing our human resource capacity. Many of our citizens have also benefitted from direct contributions [that were] made due to catastrophic events—the Saint Jude Hospital fire, Hurricane Tomas, and the 2013 Christmas Eve Trough. For these and other generous interventions our small developing country offers sincere thanks.”