A three-member Guyanese delegation is participating in the first India-Latin America Conclave: Project Partnerships 2007, being organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi. It started yesterday and ends tomorrow.

This special meeting coincides with the International Engineering and Technology Fair 2007, one of the biggest trade fairs in Asia.

A press release from the High Commission of India in Georgetown said that the delegation is being led by Minister of Tourism, Industry & Commerce, Manniram Prashad and the other two members are Dhanpaul Dhanraj of Go-Invest and Mohabir Singh, CEO of Guyana Furniture Manufacturing Limited.

At the conclave, Minister Prashad is scheduled to address the inaugural and valedictory sessions on the initiatives which can be taken by the business leaders in bringing India and the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region close to each other, the release said.

Meantime, the other officials accompanying the minister would look into the possibility of attracting Indian investment in various sectors.

The ‘Focus Latin America and Caribbean’ programme of the Ministry of Commerce, India, which started in 1997, initiated the process of serious political and business engagements between India and the LAC region. Since then a number of MOUs have been signed between India and LAC countries for mutual cooperation in the areas of science and technology, agriculture, energy, health care, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, education, culture and tourism. India has also established institutional dialogue and cooperation with Mercosur, the Andean Community, SICA and CARICOM.