NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana on Thursday. Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Parliament in Guyana.
The PM said in spite of geographical distance between India and Guyana, shared heritage and democracy brought the two nations close together. Modi recalled the longstanding historical ties between India and Guyana.
He said Guyana could become the bridge of opportunities between India and the South American continent.
Offering the mantra of ‘democracy first, humanity first’ for global good, PM Narendra Modi said space and sea should be subjects of “universal cooperation”, not universal conflict. He urged for greater exchanges between the two countries in the field of education and innovation.
India wants to serve humanity as a friend to the world, and this seminal thought has shaped its approach towards the global community, he said.
“For the world to move forward, the biggest mantra is ‘democracy first, humanity first,” he said.
PM Narendra Modi’s address to the special session of the Guyanese Parliament on Thursday was the 14th such instance when he spoke on behalf of the people of India in the Parliaments of foreign nations. Modi holds the distinction of being the Indian PM with the highest number of addresses to foreign Parliaments, official sources said.
They said his 14 addresses to foreign Parliaments are double the number of addresses by former PM Manmohan Singh, who had delivered seven such addresses. Late PM Indira Gandhi had addressed foreign legislatures four times, while India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru did it three times. Former PMs Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee delivered two such addresses while Morarji Desai and PV Narsimha Rao addressed once each.