Guyana's PM expresses support for India's fight against cross-border terrorism

Georgetown, May 26 (IANS) Guyana's Prime Minister Mark Anthony Phillips expressed support for India's measures to fight cross-border terrorism when he met with the Indian Parliamentary delegation headed by Shashi Tharoor in Berbice.

Phillips on Sunday evening (local time) received a briefing from the MPs on Operation Sindoor and India's zero tolerance for terrorism, the India's High Commission posted on X.

Phillips was the second Guyanese leader to express support for India in its combat against terrorism.

Earlier in the day, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said after meeting the delegation, "Guyana stands unequivocally" with India.

"We are against terrorism, and we believe that all those who perpetrate terroristic acts must be brought to justice," he said.

Following the briefing, the High Commission said that Phillips "reiterated Guyana's support and understanding for India's measures towards combating cross-border terrorism."

"The discussion covered a wide range of issues pertaining to India-Guyana cooperation," it said.

Monday is Guyana's Independence Day and President Mohammed Ifraan Ali gave a midnight speech in Berbice, which is about 65 kilometres from the capital, Georgetown.

Tharoor and the delegation attended the midnight celebrations of Guyana's 59th Independence anniversary.

The High Commission said in a statement, "The delegation will be interacting with the Guyanese leadership and key interlocutors from the media, Indian community and diaspora, and friends of India in Guyana."

At these meetings, the MPs will be "underlining our strong message of unity and brotherhood as well as India's collective resolve to fight against the scourge of terrorism."

Emphasising national unity across the political spectrum against terrorism, the team is headed by Tharoor from the opposition Congress Party and includes Shambhavi of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Sarfaraz Ahmad of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and Milind Murli Deora of the Shiv Sena, as well as Shashank Mani Tripathi, Bhubaneswar Kalita, and Tejasvi Surya of the BJP, and GM Harish Balayogi of the Telugu Desam Party, a National Democratic Alliance partner.

The delegation visiting Guyana is one of the seven teams of MPs crisscrossing the globe to convey India's position in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam by The Resistance Front, an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

After India's Operation Sindoor struck the terrorist dens, Pakistan launched an attack on India that also hit civilian targets like places of worship, including temples, gurdwaras, a convent, and a medical facility, escalating the conflict.

After the meeting with Jagdeo, Tharoor said on X that they had an "excellent meeting" and the vice president expressed "strong sympathy and understanding for India's concerns in the wake of recent events" -- the terrorist massacre of 26 people at Pahalgam by Pakistan-linked terrorists and India's Operation Sindoor against terrorism infrastructure based in Pakistan and in areas it occupies in Kashmir.

Tharoor said they also discussed economic cooperation between India and Guyana, a fast-developing country whose rise is fueled by the discovery of oil in its waters.

"Our conversation also spanned a range of topics relating to Guyana's record-breaking 30 per cent annual economic growth and development plans following the discovery of oil and gas," he said on X.

The MPs also met with the Indian diaspora, many of whom had also come to the hotel where they were staying to greet them.

Surya said on X, "Members of the Indian community at Georgetown, Guyana, welcomed our Parliamentary delegation."

"We also met with representatives of many spiritual organisations like the Art of Living, ISKCON and the Bramhakumaris," he posted, adding, "They serve as the spiritual and cultural anchor for the Indian community here."

--IANS

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