Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed a Special Session of the Guyanese Parliament where he said that the ties between India and Guyana were made up of soil, sweat and diligence, emphasising the deep-rooted relationship between the two nations. He also remarked that the best way to move forward amidst the ongoing situation in the world is "Democracy first, Humanity first".
"The relation of India and Guyana is very deep, it is the relation of soil, sweat, diligence. Around 180 years ago, an Indian came to Guyana land and after that, both in happiness and sadness, India and Guyana's relation has been filled with intimacy..."
He also thanked Guyanese lawmakers for inviting him to address the Guyana Parliament and for conferring him with the highest national award in the country.
"I would like to thank you all for giving me a chance to come here at the historic Parliament of Guyana. Yesterday, I was conferred with Guyana's highest national award. I would like to thank you all for this as well. I dedicate this award to the people of India," he said.
'Democracy Is In Our DNA'
PM Modi further said there are a lot of similarities between both the nations and that today India and Guyana are strengthening the democracy in the world.
"In the last 200-250 years, India and Guyana have witnessed similar kind of slavery, similar kind of struggle...during the freedom fight, so many people sacrificed their lives here and there...today both countries are strengthening democracy in the world. That's why, in the Guyanese Parliament, I am greeting you all on behalf of 140 crore people of India"
"Our democratic values are strong enough that they have become our strength in every crisis. Democracy is the biggest medium in making an inclusive society... We have shown that democracy is in our DNA. It is also in our vision and in our conduct," he added.
Referring to the current situation in the world, PM Modi said that the best way to move forward is "Democracy first, Humanity first".
"The kind of situation that is there before the world, the best way to move forward is 'Democracy first and humanity first'. The idea of 'Democracy first' teaches us to take everyone along and move forward with the development of everyone".
"The idea of 'Humanity first' decides the direction of our decisions...when decisions are taken based on the idea of 'Humanity first', results will be in the interest of humanity...for the formation of an inclusive society, there is no other bigger medium than democracy...both the countries have together shown that democracy is not just a system, we have shown that democracy is in our DNA, vision, conduct and behaviour," PM Modi said.
PM Modi is visiting Guyana as part of his three-nation visit tour as a part of which he visited Brazil and Nigeria before coming to Guyana. It is a significant visit as this is the first time in 50 years that an Indian PM has visited Guyana.
This is the 14th such instance when PM Modi has delivered an address in the Parliament of foreign nations. Former PM Manmohan Singh has delivered seven such addresses, while former PM Indira Gandhi had addressed foreign parliaments four times.