00:00India's External Affairs Minister says the last day and a half of meetings in Trinidad and Tobago
00:06focused heavily on expanding cooperation between both nations.
00:10Dr. Jai Shankar says discussions with Prime Minister Kamala Posada Bissessa
00:15explored several ideas aimed at boosting development and improving the lives of citizens.
00:20Now in the last day and a half, if you ask me what have we done,
00:25I want to say that I had the privilege of spending time with the Prime Minister
00:30and with members of her cabinet to discuss how do we take this relationship further forward.
00:39A key area discussed was the possibility of India providing soft loans
00:44to help fund infrastructure and development projects in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:49Dr. Jai Shankar says the project could range from large-scale developments
00:53to smaller community initiatives aimed at improving daily life of citizens.
00:59The first significant point of our discussion was the sense that, you know,
01:07we could, using soft loans from India, look at the possibility of infrastructure projects,
01:14development projects, some big, some perhaps less so,
01:18which would really contribute to livelihoods, contribute to ease of living in this country,
01:25contribute to the quality of life.
01:27The minister says India has used similar arrangements with other countries
01:32and believes the approach can support Trinidad and Tobago's development priorities.
01:37He added that both nations share a common interest in modernization,
01:42improved facilities and programs designated to enhance the quality of life of citizens.
01:48One of the avenues which we are discussing is really to increase our development partnerships
01:57through possibly the offers of lines of credit.
02:01We have done that with a few other countries.
02:05And the purpose of that would be really to look at the priorities of Trinidad and Tobago.
02:12The discussions are expected to continue in the coming months
02:15as TNT and India explore deeper economic and diplomatic cooperation.
02:21Charlotte Kisto, TV6 News.
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