The Indian High Commissioner, His Excellency, Avinash Gupta, has expressed delight with the increased levels of cooperation between his country and Anguillla.

Chief Minister Fleming and Commissioner Gupta

He was at the time speaking to The Anguillian on Wednesday, while paying a courtesy call on Chief Minister, the Honourable Osbourne Fleming.

Mr. Gupta, who was accompanied to Anguilla by his wife, said his visit was to enable him to find more ways and means to improve relations and cooperation between the two territories. He was pleased that India had been able to accept two Anguillians on study courses and was now offering an additional three other places.

“I am encouraging the authorities here to utilise these three slots so that next year I can raise the number to five. So there is a beginning and I am hoping that it will be more fruitful in years to come,” he stated.

“I am also glad, as I was talking to the Chief Minister, that one of the Indian construction companies got involved in a project here. We see this as a positive development, not only from the construction point of view, but in creating more awareness of India in Anguilla and Anguilla in India. It is a sort of a two-way process.

“As a Commissioner to Anguilla, my job is to bring the peoples of both countries as close as possible to each other.”

Responding, Chief Minister Fleming was very pleased to know that a more cooperative and effective relationship had begun between India and Anguilla. He indicated that the Anguilla Government would take up the offer of more short-term training opportunities from India next year as well as long-term courses as they became available. “India is very good in the area of technology and may be that is the type of course we will be taking,” Mr. Fleming told The Anguillian.

The Chief Minister continued: “The good thing now is that the Commissioner has a good reason to be here because we have quite a number of Indians in Anguilla. We have about 60 right now and we have a request for another 75 who will be working on the Viceroy project.

“I want to make it clear that this does not mean that Anguillians do not have the opportunity to work because they will be selected first and will not be turned away; but there is need to have that extra help in order to have closure to these development projects.

“I was telling my colleagues that we have an obligation to get the projects finished because they are no benefit to us as they are. We want them completed so that the country can begin to realise the revenue. The quicker we get them finished, the quicker we can start collecting revenue,” he concluded.

“Are you saying, Sir, that you will approve the work permits for the additional Indian workers? the Chief Minister was asked.

“I will,” he replied.

While in Anguilla, the Indian High Commissioner paid a courtesy call on His Excellency the Governor, Andrew George.

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