Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has expressed her gratitude to India Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the compassion he demonstrated towards Trinidad and Tobago and other small nations during the COVID-19 pandemic. During an address to a gathering of the Indian diaspora at the National Cycling Centre in Couva last night, which was attended by Modi and his delegation, who arrived in T&T hours earlier, Persad-Bissessar noted that under his leadership, India extended its support to the world, especially four years ago.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, while some countries were hoarding medical supplies, you, sir, made sure that vaccines and supplies reached even the smallest nations, including Trinidad and Tobago,” Persad-Bissessar remarked. This elicited sustained applause from the hundreds present in the audience. On Tuesday, April 13, 2021, T&T received 40,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines after Prime Minister Modi responded to a request for assistance from this nation during a period when acquiring vaccines was particularly challenging.
Reflecting on this, Persad-Bissessar continued, “Through your benevolence, you brought hope and calm where there was fear. I say again, this was more than diplomacy; this was an act of kinship. This was an act of sheer humanity; this was an act of love, and this is one of the many reasons we are deeply proud to bestow upon you, Excellency, the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, our nation’s highest honour, tomorrow.”