India’s Modi arrives in Trinidad and Tobago to strengthen ties in first official visit

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday for a two-day trip expected to boost investments in energy, health, security and other sectors.

It is Modi’s first official visit to the diverse, twin-island Caribbean nation. More than 35% of its 1.4 million inhabitants are East Indian, descendants of indentured workers brought from India during the colonial era.

Modi said on X prior to the trip that he was “looking forward to deepening ties with a valued partner in the Caribbean, with whom we share very old cultural linkages.”

Hours before Modi landed in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad’s prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, closed schools and non-essential government offices as a security measure aimed at reducing traffic.

Modi was scheduled to meet with officials on Thursday evening and address both Houses of Parliament on Friday, as well as sign several agreements.

While many in Trinidad and Tobago’s Hindu community were excited about Modi’s visit, the nation’s largest Muslim organization, the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association, had its reservations. In a letter sent to a local newspaper, the association criticized Modi’s government, saying it has “emboldened religious intolerance and targeted the Muslim community” in India.

“We cannot ignore Mr. Modi’s political legacy and its ramifications for Muslim communities globally,” the association said.

About 18% of Trinidad and Tobago’s population is Hindu, while 5% is Muslim.

Modi is scheduled to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina this weekend and meet with President Javier Milei.