New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) Representatives from Central American Integration System (SICA) member countries appreciated India’s proactive role in fostering global South-South cooperation during a virtual dialogue held on India-SICA cooperation, on Wednesday.

The Indian side was led by Rajesh Vaishnaw, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) while SICA was represented at the Virtual Dialogue by the Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs of the Republic of Costa Rica, Alejandro Solano; Director of International Cooperation of the SICA Secretariat, Carmen Marroquin and senior officials and representatives of other member countries.

The current Pro-Tempore Presidency of SICA lies with Costa Rica and will be handed over to Panama later this year.

“Additional Secretary, in his intervention, underlined that the India SICA relationship is built on a strong foundation of mutual respect, shared values of democracy and sustainable development, and strong commitment to South-South cooperation. India has actively supported a number of initiatives in this region through its development cooperation programmes, including the ITEC capacity-building platform, Quick Impact Projects (QIPs), and the dedicated SME grant programme,” read a MEA statement issued on Thursday.

The Additional Secretary also highlighted India’s success in digital transformation; affordable healthcare and medicines; disaster resilience and renewable energy, stating that India is willing to cooperate further in these areas with the SICA member countries for shared prosperity and sustainable development.

“The representatives from SICA Secretariat and the SICA Member countries appreciated India’s proactive role in fostering global South-South cooperation. They mentioned that the India SICA cooperation will deepen further through sustained political dialogue and regional cooperation initiatives,” the statement detailed.

Main areas of cooperation identified during the meeting included food and nutritional security; health; connectivity; agriculture; digital transformation; energy; and, trade and investment.

The representatives from SICA also thanked India for its support in times of need such as the Covid pandemic and other natural disasters affecting the region.

–IANS

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