Berbice [Guyana], May 26 (ANI): Highlighting the deep ties between New Delhi and Georgetown, Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora, who is a part of the multi-party delegation led by Shashi Tharoor, thanked Guyana's people and government for standing with India in its fight against terrorism.

'Today, after America, we have come to Guyana, under the leadership of Shashi Tharoor. There is a very deep relationship between Guyana and India. In a way, the people of Guyana have a very deep affection for India. And on the day when Guyana is celebrating its 59th Independence Day, we are celebrating this with the people of Guyana,' Deora told ANI.

'On behalf of all the citizens of India, I would like to thank the people of Guyana and the Government of Guyana, especially its Vice President, President and Prime Minister, for their stand with India in the war against terrorism and terrorists,' the Shiv Sena MP added.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading the all-party delegation, attended the 59th Independence Day celebrations of Guyana at the Albion Sports Complex in Berbice. Following a meeting with Prime Minister Brigadier Mark Anthony Phillips (Retd), Tharoor spoke about the larger scope of cooperation between the two nations.

Tharoor said, 'With Guyana, it always goes beyond the main purpose of our visit because there is a much larger scope of cooperation between our countries. The Prime Minister's wife had come to Ahmedabad as part of the Technical Cooperation programme we offer, in which about 100 officials every year from Guyana tend to come, and these officials are trained in India for 3-6 months, depending on the project. She had come and studied Entrepreneurial and NGO management...'

Expressing his gratitude, Tharoor also acknowledged the hospitality extended by the Prime Minister, who hosted a dinner attended by several cabinet members. During the dinner, discussions included key issues like terrorism.

He further said, 'I am extremely grateful for the warm welcome extended by the Prime Minister, who hosted us for dinner. Guyana's 59th Independence Day is coming up. We were very touched when the Prime Minister insisted we come for dinner. Many members of the cabinet were also present. We had some very good conversations. We mentioned the issues of terrorism.'

The all-party delegation led by Tharoor comprises Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayagi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, Bhubaneswar K Lata (all from BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), and Former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

The members of the Indian community and the Indian diaspora in Guyana welcomed the all-party delegation with resounding applause and enthusiasm. Hailing India's response against acts of terror perpetrated by Pakistan, the members of the Indian community expressed their heartfelt support.

The all-party delegation aims to brief international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism.

Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack by Pak-sponsored terrorists in which 26 people were killed. The Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. (ANI)