India and Trinidad & Tobago have solidified their relationship by signing six key agreements on July 4, 2025, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country. These agreements aim to enhance cooperation across various sectors, including infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, culture, and sports. This visit marks a significant step in strengthening the bonds between the two nations.
The agreements signed will promote deeper cooperation in several fields. These include pharmacopoeia, quick-impact projects, culture, sports, and diplomatic training. Additionally, the leaders explored potential collaboration in defense, agriculture, healthcare, digital transformation, capacity building, and people-to-people exchanges.
Prime Minister Modi's visit is particularly noteworthy as the first bilateral visit at the Prime Ministerial level to Trinidad & Tobago since 1999. During his stay, Modi met with President Christine Carla Kangaloo and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to discuss ways to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries. Modi also addressed a Joint Session of the Parliament.
In addition to the agreements, Prime Minister Modi announced several initiatives to foster bilateral ties. One such initiative is the offer of Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards to the sixth generation of people of Indian origin in the Caribbean nation. This move is expected to deepen the connection between the Indian diaspora in Trinidad & Tobago and their ancestral homeland.
Prime Minister Modi also announced a donation of 2,000 laptops to support the Government's digital education initiative. Healthcare support will include 20 dialysis units, two sea ambulances, and a prosthetic limb fitment camp for 800 individuals. In agriculture, Modi handed over the first batch of US$1 million in agro-machinery to NAMDEVCO and pledged support in millet cultivation, seaweed fertiliser and natural farming. India will also support digitising the state land registration system.
Trinidad and Tobago will become the first Caribbean nation to adopt India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI), with further collaboration planned on India Stack tools like DigiLocker and e-Sign. The governments also renewed their Programme of Cultural Exchanges for 2025–2028, through which steelpan artistes will travel to India. There will also be training opportunities for Trinidadian pundits, who will participate in India's Geeta Mahotsav.
Both leaders also addressed pressing global issues, reaffirming the need for comprehensive reforms in the United Nations, including expansion of the UN Security Council. They also agreed that India would support Trinidad and Tobago's candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the period 2027-28, and the island nation would support New Delhi's bid for the period 2028-29.
The strengthening of ties between India and Trinidad & Tobago is built on a foundation of historical interactions and mutual interests. The signing of these six agreements and the discussions held during Prime Minister Modi's visit signal a commitment to further enhance cooperation and deepen the bonds between the two nations.
