New York

Guyana Foreign Minister Hugh Hilton Todd on Saturday said that the country has "immensely" benefitted from India's growth as it focuses on human development.

Todd was addressing a special event "India@75: Showcasing India UN Partnership in Action" to commemorate and showcase Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to highlight India's development journey and its contributions to South-South Cooperation.

He further said that India's culture exists in Guyana since Indian labourers migrated to the country in the 19th century.

"More importantly, when we were faced with the pandemic, it was a time of known politicians across the globe and I can only recall having a meeting with the minister of health and often he referred to literally coming out to India" for help, Todd said during the event.

Earlier in the event, Jamaica's Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith praised India for its assistance during the pandemic and said that New Delhi was a reliable partner.

"From the very onset, India was a reliable partner whose assistance was critical to our pandemic response. India embraced a holistic & outward-looking vaccine diplomacy strategy...Jamaica was able to secure its first life-saving vaccines from India," Jamaica said.

"While others chose to withhold supplies, India's vaccine outreach exemplified its principles of equality & mutual benefit. We are deeply grateful to govt, the people of India, led by PM Modi & EAM Jaishankar," she added.

Even Maldives Foreign Minister Abdula Shahid also lauded India and said that New Delhi is a "valuable" partner in helping meet challenges in key areas ranging from disaster relief to economic development.

"Sanyukt Rashtra ke sath sajhedaari par Bharat ko badhai (Wishes to India for its partnership with the United Nations)," he said at the special event. "I warmly extend the Maldives congregation to India on their 75th anniversary of Independence and its productive partnership with the United Nations," he added.

The Maldives FM termed the partnership with India as a "valuable" one in the face of varied challenges. "India has been a valuable partner in helping meet challenges from disaster relief to addressing the pandemic and accessing vaccines to economic development and recovery."

Lauding Indian assistance to the Maldives during the COVID-19 pandemic and said, "Even during the most difficult days, India made a remarkable effort to help our country."

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also addressed the gathering at the special event. Noting that India is now the fifth biggest economy in the world and envisions itself as a developed country by 2047, Jaishankar on Saturday said that the country's own development is inseparable from the rest of the world.

In the 18th century, India accounted for a quarter of the global GDP. By the middle of the 20th, colonialism ensured that we were one of the poorest nations in the world. That was our state when we became the founding member of the United Nations," the minister said.

He said in the 75th year of its independence, India stands before the UN today "proudly as the fifth biggest economy in the world" and is still rising as the "strongest, most enthusiastic and definitely the most argumentative democracy".

He spoke of the progress of digital public infrastructure in India and said it is designed to ensure that "no one is left behind.”