PM to woo small island countries in New York, meet 30 leaders during India-Caribbean and India-Pacific Island summits

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be participating in two summits next week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York -- The India-Caribbean (CARICOM) Island summit and the India-Pacific Island summit. The primary focus will be on climate change, blue economy and how India can partner in their development needs.

This is the first India-Caribbean Island summit. India's envoy to United Nations Syed Akbaruddin met with his counterparts from CARICOM or Caribbean countries. Twenty countries make up the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Of the 26 countries, Fifteen are full members and five are associate members. 

Full members of CARICOM are--Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

India has increased its political engagement with Caribbean island countries where the link usually has been cricket and several Indian origin people whose ancestors were taken to that part of the world by the British during the colonial time. 

Last year speaking to WION in New York, Grenada's PM Keith Mitchell said, "Relationship with India grown over the years". 

Keith Mitchell has played cricket with many Indian cricketers including Kapil dev and has been a fan of Indian cricket.

Earlier this month, New Delhi announced $ 1 million humanitarian assistance to The Bahamas which was devasted by Hurricane Dorian.

Meanwhile, PM Modi will participate in the 3rd Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) or India Pacific Island countries summit. The first summit took place in 2014 when PM Modi visited Fiji and the 2nd in Jaipur in 2015.

14 Countries from the Pacific island nations group are Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

India provides USD 200,000 per year to each of the Pacific Island States.