—President Ali praises India on 79th year of Independence

PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali has extended congratulations to the Government and people of India as the Asian nation marks its Independence Anniversary, describing the bond between Georgetown and New Delhi as “an enduring friendship anchored in deep historical and cultural ties.”
In a statement released on Saturday, President Ali said he was writing on behalf of the Government and people of Guyana to extend warmest congratulations to India as it celebrates its 79th Independence Anniversary and 80th Independence Day celebrations.
Reflecting on the country’s trajectory since 1947, the President said India’s journey over “almost eight decades” has been shaped by “the resilience, determination and ingenuity of its people,” a path he credited with transforming the country “into a global leader across numerous fields.”

Turning to the relationship between the two countries, President Ali pointed to “strong people-to-people connections” and what he called “an expanding partnership built on mutual respect and shared aspirations” as defining features of the Guyana-India relationship today.
He closed the message by joining “the people of Guyana in celebrating [India’s] achievements,” wishing the Indian people “continued peace, prosperity and progress” on the occasion.
India gained independence from British colonial rule on August 15, 1947. This year’s observance marks 79 completed years of independence, even as New Delhi officially designates it the 80th Independence Day celebration, a numbering distinction that accounts for the inaugural 1947 event itself being counted as the first.
President Ali’s message continues a long-standing tradition of reciprocal goodwill between the two governments, whose diplomatic relations date back to 1965, a year before Guyana itself gained independence.
That relationship is underpinned by deep people-to-people ties: a significant share of Guyana’s population traces its ancestry to Indian indentured labourers brought to the then-British colony in the nineteenth century; a heritage still celebrated annually through Indian Arrival Day.
The bilateral relationship has been especially active in recent years. President Ali led an official delegation to India in January 2023 as chief guest at the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, where he was conferred with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award in recognition of his contribution to strengthening ties with the Indian diaspora.
Co-operation between the two countries has since expanded across energy, healthcare, digital innovation, capacity-building and sustainable development, supported by mechanisms such as India’s ITEC and ICCR scholarship programmes.
The greeting also comes only months after Guyana marked its own Diamond Jubilee, 60 years of independence, in May 2026, celebrations that drew messages of solidarity from India’s Ministry of External Affairs, which reaffirmed New Delhi’s commitment to a “trusted and forward-looking partnership” with Georgetown