Minister Lekhi is on a week-long tour of the region, which has already seen her visit Cuba in addition to the Central American nation of Guatemala. She is also expected to visit El Salvador and Bolivia during her visit.
During her ongoing visit to Guatemala, Lekhi reviewed the state of bilateral ties with Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro Flores and also met Guillermo Castillo Reyes, the country’s Acting President. According to a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs, they discussed “cooperation in science & technology, health & pharma, women empowerment and capacity building."
Cultural outreach also played a part in Lekhi’s visit. She met with the country’s Minister of Culture and Sports and discussed the expansion of cultural cooperation and people to people ties. She also took part in the Yoga and Indian film festival in the city of Antigua and interacted with the Indian diaspora in the country. .
Lekhi also discussed energy cooperation with Alberto Mata, Guatemala’s Minister of Energy and Mines. Both sides also discussed the success of India-trained “Solar Mamas", who operate and maintain solar energy systems that supply local communities. These women were trained under India’s ITEC development assistance scheme. Finally, Lekhi also spoke of “enhancing cooperation between India and Guatemala in Health and Pharma, Ayurveda and Traditional Medicines" with Francisco Coma Martin, Minister of Public Health and Social Assistance.
Earlier in her tour of the region, Lekhi visited Cuba. During her time there, she met President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez of Cuba along with the country’s Foreign Minister and the President of the National Assembly. She also met with Cuba’s Minister for Culture. Lekhi visited an Ayurvedic Centre in Cuba set up with the assistance of the Government of India.
