New York, Sep 23. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin co-chaired the India-CELAC Expanded Troika Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New York, with the two sides discussing ways to expand economic and development cooperation and strengthen political engagement.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 22. Saint Lucia’s Foreign Minister Alva Baptiste also outlined his country’s role in the CELAC Troika.
The meeting saw participation from 30 of CELAC’s 33 member states, including 16 foreign ministers and five vice-ministerial-level representatives, underlining the broad regional participation in the India-CELAC dialogue.
The participants welcomed the growth in bilateral trade, which reached $50 billion in 2025-26, while noting the scope for further expansion of commercial ties. Discussions focused on strengthening India-CELAC cooperation, expanding trade and development partnerships and coordinating on global challenges through multilateral institutions.
The ministers stressed the importance of intensifying political dialogue, economic engagement and people-to-people exchanges. They also agreed to work towards establishing an institutional mechanism that would enable periodic reviews of India-CELAC cooperation and track progress across different areas.
CELAC members also acknowledged India’s humanitarian assistance to Jamaica, Venezuela and Colombia following earthquakes in 2025 and 2026.
India reiterated its commitment to expanding cooperation with CELAC countries across a broad range of sectors, including trade, climate action, renewable energy, digital transformation, healthcare, food security, critical minerals, infrastructure, space, agriculture, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), and capacity building.
The meeting reflected India’s expanding engagement with the Latin American and Caribbean region and the shared interest in developing a broader and more structured partnership.
The proposed institutional mechanism is expected to provide greater continuity to the relationship and facilitate follow-up on cooperation in economic, technological, developmental and other mutually identified areas.
