India's Global Vision
Your Excellency, Ambassador Eduardo Enrique Reina Garcia, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Honduras, Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, very good afternoon to all of you. It is a great privilege to join you all today for the official inauguration of the Embassy of the Republic of Honduras in New Delhi.
This occasion marks a significant milestone and opens up a promising new chapter in the warm and long-standing relationship between our two countries.
Minister, let me first, acknowledge the statement of solidarity that we heard from your country on the cowardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, and we particularly value, your public commitment to opposition to terrorism, in all its forms, and the fact that it is something which is completely unacceptable, to, any form of, civilized world.
We very much appreciate, your support and solidarity as we battle terrorism, today in our region. Where the opening of this embassy is concerned, I regard it as more than a ceremonial event. It is a testament to the shared vision and mutual commitment of our two nations to deepen our bilateral ties, to fortify our institutional linkages, and to expand the frontiers of our cooperation.
It reflects our common aspiration to forge partnerships, not just with Honduras, but with the larger region, relationships that transcend geography and embody the values of mutual respect, solidarity, and shared progress. Excellencies, dear friends, since the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Honduras on the twenty-eighth of September nineteen eight nineteen ninety-four, the our relationship has grown steadily across multiple dimensions: political, commercial, developmental, and cultural.
Our engagements have been guided by a spirit of friendship and a strong belief that international cooperation serves the broader interests of humanity. In the last three decades, our economic engagements have grown steadily. They've been underpinned by trade, by investment, by technical cooperation.
Bilateral trade is today, a little in excess of three hundred million dollars, three hundred and ten to be exact. And we have a diversified basket, which includes pharmaceuticals, textiles, automobiles, and machinery, while we import coffee, wood, and leather from Honduras. Now, this commercial exchange highlights the, considerable potential that exists, in areas such as agribusiness, renewable energy, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing.
In fact, Minister, all the areas that we discussed today in our very productive talks earlier in the afternoon. We recognize, the need today to strengthen our business-to-business linkages, to foster greater investment partnerships, and to explore complementarities while exchanging experiences. Where Indian companies are concerned, I do want to recognize that they have been they have a particular interest in renewable energy and IT-enabled service sectors.
We think that your country's strategic location, its favorable investment climate, and its demand for sustainable solutions make it an attractive destination. Recently, Hondutel, which is your national telecom operator, had signed a memorandum of understanding with one of our major telecom players, Reliance Jio, paving the way for the rollout of a 5G network, in Honduras. This collaboration marks a significant step in digital connectivity partnership as well as in technology innovation.
I'm very confident that the opening of the Embassy of Honduras in New Delhi will go a long way to facilitate trade promotion, will encourage business people to use the embassy as a hub for matchmaking, that it will provide institutional support to, undertake greater initiative activities and engagements. I also want to share on this occasion the discussions that we've had today, and I think some of our earlier meetings as well.
The fact that as part of Global South, cooperation, we have the possibility of exchanging developmental experiences. We particularly focused, I think, on health, and also, the, I want to mention that we are now engaged, in installing an early warning system, which is developed by C-DOT, which is aimed at, strengthening Honduras's preparedness for disaster resilience.
Our collaboration on the global stage Has found many meaningful expressions, including in the United Nations. We very much, value the consistent support, that we receive from Honduras in various multilateral activities. I also want to mention the Indian diaspora in Honduras.
It is small, but it is vibrant, and it contributes significantly, to, the local economy as well as serves as a living bridge of friendship. We are very encouraged today to see the enthusiasm for Indian culture in Honduras, widespread interest in yoga and traditional Indian wellness practices.
And again, I'm sure that the establishment of an embassy here, would serve to make that living bridge that much more effective. Let me again, stress this broader engagement today that India has with Latin America and the Caribbean. I think it has seen considerable progress, in the last few years.
When I became minister six years ago, I promised many of you or your predecessors, that it is certainly a region in which, we would take much greater interest, invest much deeper energies, and have much more activity. To me, the opening of an embassy, here, is an affirmation that this effort that we have made, is actually, paying off.
That, the embassy, a resident embassy, is actually a commitment by Honduras to really, realize the full potential of our ties. And there is so much that we can, do here, do in terms of business, as I said, do in terms of education, capacity building. Our ITEC program has already been active for many years, in Honduras.
And we can we certainly, hope that it is something which would, grow both in its quality, and in terms of the importance of its contribution. So once again, let me, Minister, wish you and your team and your wife, very, all the best, on this important occasion. We really appreciate the opening of a resident mission.
We see this as one more, step in solidifying our relationship, with the region. So I'm sure many of, our colleagues from Latin America would also join me, in welcoming the opening of a resident mission.
Once again, my warmest congratulations, and I hope, that your presence here today and the opening of a resident mission, will, create the basis for much more intensive interactions between us in times to come. Thank you very much.
