Barbados

Political

India and Barbados enjoy friendly bilateral relations. This relationship is reinforced by our commonwealth membership, the English language and our love for cricket.  Both are members of a large number of international and multilateral bodies including the 42-member developing countries platform of the L.69 Group and actively pushing for reforms of the UNSC through an expansion in both categories of membership. Both countries interact actively in the UN, Commonwealth and NAM. Barbados has supported India’s candidature for Non-Permanent seat at UNSC and has also committed support for India’s bid for Permanent Membership of UNSC. Barbados has also supported India’s successful candidacies in the elections to International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Tribunal of the Laws of the Seas (ITLOS) and Executive Board of UNESCO and International Maritime Organizations (IMO) in 2018 and continued its support to India’s candidature for WCO, ICAO, IMO and WHO in 2019 as also in 2020. Both countries work closely with each other in the multilateral fora. Barbados is a signatory to International Solar Alliance and has ratified it in January, 2021. Govt. of India provided as a token of solidarity life saving drugs and protective gear worth US$ 100000 to Govt. and people of Barbados to assist in their fight against Covid 19 pandemic, which were handed over on November 4, 2020 to the Govt. of Barbados. As a gesture of solidarity, GoI donated 100000 doses of Made in India Covishield vaccine to Barbados on February 9,  2021.

Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri Digvijay Singh paid a bilateral visit to Barbados from 15-17 June 2003. Finance Minister of India, Shri P. Chidambaram, visited Barbados to attend the Commonwealth Finance Ministers’ Meeting in September, 2005.

Mr. R. Swaminathan, Special Secretary visited Barbados from April 28-May 01, 2015 to hold the first ever Foreign Office Consultations(FOC). Late Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister met Senator Hon’ble Ms. Maxine McClean, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados on the sidelines of 3rd India-CARICOM meeting held in New York on September 19, 2017. Shri Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry with Mr. DonvilleInniss, Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development of Barbados on October 30, 2017 in Havana. Shri Shri P.P.Chaudhary Minister of State Law & Justice and Corporate Affairs visited Barbados from April 25-28, 2018 under MEA’s innovative outreach programme and met the then Prime Minister Freundel Stuart during a community reception on April 26, 2018. PM-Barbados met PM Modi during the India-CariCom Meet of Heads of State/Gov.  held on the margins of UNGA on September 25, 2019 at New York. During the meeting, a series of announcements were made by Prime Minister Modi including grant of US$ 14 mn and LoC of US$140 mn for projects in solar, renewable energy and climate change for CariCom member States.  Under India-UNDP fund, a project on Vocational Training to Marginalised Youth of St. Lucia amounting to US$550000 is in progress.

Economy

Trade and Commercial relations between the two countries are modest.

Indian company Larsen and Toubro has built a $30 mn stadium in Barbados in 2005. Barbadian government has expressed interest in pursuing cooperation with India in the fields of information technology, cotton cultivation and textile industry, film industry, academic exchanges, cultural cooperation etc. Given the size of the country, Barbados enjoys relatively high prosperity owing to its flourishing tourism industry.

An MOU between Federation of Indian Export Organization (FIEO) and Barbados Chamber of Commerce was signed on trade cooperation in 2017. India and Barbados have signed Air Services Agreement on October 6, 2015, for facilitation of travel arrangements for the citizens and the possibility of direct air connectivity and charted flight operations between the two countries. The agreement allows, inter alia, full fifth freedom rights including weekly operations of seven air services to each country. M/s Jet Airways from India has been designated to operate between India and Barbados on agreed services.

There are opportunities for Indian companies to import  salt & sulpher, organic chemicals and wood pulp from Barbados, exports food items, pharmaceutical products, medical equipment & coffee/tea from India and investment in health care, agriculture, tourism, financial services,  setting up BPOs,  niche manufacturers (as raw material is not available such as eye lens) etc. The Barbadian side would also like to collaborate with India in Heritage Management, tele-medicine, training technicians, film sector, education, sports and culture.  The education system of Barbados is sound. Barbados provides a sound platform for R&D centre, ICT etc.. They would very much like Indian IT and financial services professionals to work in Barbados.

Culture

A 5-member devotional/light classical group led by Ms Indira Naik, visited Barbados on October 22-23, 2014. The event was attended by the Minister of Culture and members of the Diplomatic corps. Barbados is keen to attract the Indian Film Industry to shoot in their country , hold Film Festivals and award  ceremonies. In order to promote technical cooperation between the two countries, India  provides scholarships under ITEC to Barbados. IDY is celebrated in Barbados.

Indian Community

Approximately 2500 people of Indian origin have settled in Barbados and most of them have since acquired local nationality. Over 2000 of them are from Surat district of Gujarat known as “ Suratis”. There are also about 50 Sindhi families (150 members) mainly engaged in Business and 450 NRIs as medical students, professionals engaged in the fields of Education and Medicine, Financial Services & IT.  Most of these PIOs have got assimilated in the mainstream local society. Barbados has been included in the list of eTV for 113 countries, whose nationals can avail visa on arrival in India. The Government of Barbados has included India in the list of countries whose nationals do not require visa with effect from June, 2019. However, in April, 2021, it has temporarily , made the requirement of visa for Indian nationals.

Reference books :  Sugar in the Blood: A Family's Story of Slavery and Empire by Andrea Stuart, Growing Up Stupid Under the Union Jack (Paperback)by Austin Clarke; The Chosen Place, The Timeless People by  Paule Marshall.