GUYANA and Dominica have conferred their top awards on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic and his exceptional contributions to the global community and efforts in strengthening bilateral ties with the two Caribbean nations. The Prime Minister, who is in Guyana on the last leg of his three-nation visit, was conferred ‘The Order of Excellence’ by Guyanese President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday. “Sincerely thank President Dr Irfaan Ali, for conferring upon me Guyana’s highest honour, ‘The Order of Excellence.’ This is a recognition of the 140 crore people of India,” he said in a post on X.

 

“This is living proof of your deep commitment towards our relations which will continue to inspire us to move forward in every field,” he said while accepting the award. Modi dedicated the honour to the people of India and the deep-rooted historical ties between the people of the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release. He also emphasised that his State visit is a testament to India’s continued commitment towards deepening India-Guyana friendship. “Another feather in the cap for India! President @DrMohamedIrfaa1 @presidentaligy of Guyana conferred PM @narendramodi with the highest national award of Guyana ‘The Order of Excellence’, for his exceptional service to the global community, statesmanship and contribution in deepening India-Guyana ties,” the MEA said in a post on X. Modi is the fourth foreign leader to be conferred with the highest National award of Guyana, according to the ministry. Before this, the Prime Minister was conferred the “Dominica Award of Honour” by President Sylvanie Burton of Dominica on the sidelines of the India-CARICOM Summit here.

 

“Honoured to be conferred with highest national award by Dominica. I dedicate it to the 140 crore people of India,” Modi said in a post on X. “This honour is dedicated to my sisters and brothers of India. It is also indicative of the unbreakable bond between our nations,” he said in a separate post. “The award is a recognition of PM’s statesmanship and contribution to Dominica during the COVID-19 pandemic and his commitment to strengthening India-Dominica ties,” the MEA said in a post. PM is the voice of global south: EAM Jaishankar: EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on being conferred with the ‘Dominica Award of Honour’, the highest national award of Dominica, during his state visit to Guyana. In a post on X, Jaishankar said, “ Congratulate PM @narendramodi on being conferred with Dominica’s highest National Award - “Dominica Award of Honour”.” The External Affairs Minister noted that the award recognises, “PM’s statesmanship, especially support to Dominica during the Covid-19 pandemic”. He observed, “The award reinforces PM @narendramodi’s leadership in being a true partner and voice of the Global South”. After being conferred with the award, Prime Minister Modi expressed his heartfelt gratitude.