Embassy of India

India-Barbados Bilateral Relations

June 2026

Political relations

India and Barbados enjoy friendly bilateral relations. This relationship is reinforced by our Commonwealth membership, the English language, and our love for cricket. Both countries are members of a large number of international and multilateral bodies, including L.69 Group that actively pushes for reforms of the UNSC through an expansion in permanent and non-permanent membership. Both countries interact actively in the UN, Commonwealth and NAM.

India’s PM Sh. Narendra Modi had bilateral meeting with Barbados PM Hon. Mia Amor Mottley on the margins of the India-CariCom Meeting in November 2024 during which Barbados PM also announced conferring of ‘Honorary Order of Freedom of Barbados’ award on PM Modi. Earlier in September, 2019 also, they met at the India-CariCom Meet in New York on the UNGA margins.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sh. Om Birla, led a parliamentary delegation to Barbados for the 68^th annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, held in October 2025. MOS Sh. Pabitra Margherita had a short visit to Barbados in October, 2024 and official visit in March, 2025, during his March visit, he received ‘Honorary Order of Freedom of Barbados’ award on behalf of PM Modi. Matters of mutual concern were also reviewed during a roundtable meeting with Barbados PM and Foreign Minister.

On 28 March 2026, Minister of Commerce and Industry of India, Sh. Piyush Goyal met Mr. Christopher Peter Sinckler, Senior Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados during 14th Ministerial Conference of the WTO.

Barbados Minister of Health and Wellness Hon. Jerome X. Walcott visited India and participated in the second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine from 17-19 December 2025. On the side lines of the 20th Session of IGC in Delhi on 12^th December 2025, Hon’ble Minister of Culture & Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi with Barbados’ Hon’ble Minister of Culture, Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight.

On 17.08.2024, Hon’ble Ms. Marsha K.A. Caddle, M.P and Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science & Technology represented Barbados at the 3rd virtual Voice of the Global South Summit (VOGSS) Finance Ministers’ session. Earlier, Ms Kay S. McConney, Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training of Barbados virtually addressed the Education Minister Session of VOGSS on 13 January 2023.

India's External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, met with Barbados' former Foreign Minister, Jerome Xavier Walcott, at the 4th India-CARICOM Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New York on 23 September 2022.

Minister of State for External Affairs, Digvijay Singh paid a bilateral visit to Barbados from 15-17 June 2003 and called on Ms. Mia Mottley, Deputy PM and Attorney General and Foreign Minister, Ms. Billie Miller. Finance Minister of India, P. Chidambaram, visited Barbados to attend the Commonwealth Finance Ministers’ Meeting in September, 2005. Mr. R. Swaminathan, Special Secretary visited Barbados from April 28-May 01, 2015 to hold the first ever Foreign Office Consultations (FOC). Late Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister met Senator Ms. Maxine McClean, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados on the sidelines of 3rd India-CARICOM meeting held in New York on September 19, 2017. Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry met Mr. Donville Inniss, Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business Development of Barbados on October 30, 2017 in Havana. P.P.Chaudhary Minister of State Law & Justice and Corporate Affairs visited Barbados from April 25-28, 2018 under MEA’s innovative outreach programme and met the then Prime Minister Freundel Stuart during a community reception on April 26, 2018. Former High Commissioner attended 34th meeting of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) special committee on sustainable tourism meeting in September, 2023.

Commercial relations (Development Partnerships and trade)

The Government of Barbados and the Commonwealth Secretariat implemented an US $550 thousand project, "Local Content Development in Energy Industry Value Chain" from the India-UNDP Development Partnership Fund. The project aims to create jobs and incomes for Barbadians, and improve market access and competitiveness of local businesses in the energy industry value chain. The key deliverables were handed over to the Minister for Energy and Business in August 2023.

Another Project under India-UNDP Fund “Support on Covid-19 Response” at a cost of US$ 675 thousand aims to strengthen Barbados’ medical sector with the specific objective of procurement of medical equipment, a Refrigerated Truck, 20 ventilators and 25 ICU beds and several other machines has been completed with handover of 107 items of medical equipment that will benefit 13 medical centers in Barbados.

India provided life-saving drugs and protective gear worth US $100,000 to the Barbados government and people, in a solidarity effort against the Covid-19 pandemic. Further, India donated 100,000 doses of Covid vaccine to Barbados on February 9, 2021.

Under the 1 million grant announced by EAM during India-COFCOR meeting 2023, A Micro Small Enterprise (MSE) project for coconut processing has been approved in principle. On 30 July 2025, MoU to this effect has been signed.

Trade and Commercial relations between the two countries are modest. India trades majorly with Barbados in Machinery, Vehicles, Pharmaceuticals, Iron and Steel, Plastics, Copper, organic chemicals, etc.

Indian companies in partnership with Barbados Government have carried out many assignments. EXIM Bank India completed an assignment for establishing Export Consultancy Agency in Barbados in collaboration with Export Barbados. Indian company Larsen and Toubro has rebuilt a $30 mn Kensington Oval cricket stadium in Barbados. Given the size of the country, Barbados enjoys relatively high prosperity owing to its flourishing tourism industry. An MOU between Federation of Indian Export Organization (FIEO) and Barbados Chamber of Commerce was signed on trade cooperation in 2017.

India and Barbados signed an Air Services Agreement in 2015 to facilitate travel arrangements and direct air connectivity. Once Flights are in operation, it will allow, inter alia, full fifth freedom rights including weekly operations of seven air services to each country.

There are opportunities for Indian companies to import; salt & sulpher, organic chemicals and wood pulp from Barbados, export; food items, pharmaceutical products, medical equipment & coffee/tea from India and investment in health care, agriculture, tourism, port development, road, renovation of stadium, running of international airport, digitization project, construction of hotel, wellness centres, convention centre, housing and international businesses and financial services, setting up BPOs, niche manufacturers (as raw material is not available such as eye lens) etc.

Culture

 A 5-member devotional/light classical group led by Ms Indira Naik, visited Barbados on October 22-23, 2014. The event was attended by the Minister of Culture and members of the Diplomatic Corps. Barbados is keen to attract the Indian Film Industry to shoot in their country, hold Film Festivals and award ceremonies. In order to promote technical cooperation between the two countries, India provides scholarships under ITEC to Barbados. Every year, International Day of Yoga is celebrated by the community in Barbados. On 28 February 2024, Barbados Museum and Historical Society launched the Bengal to Barbados digital project in collaboration with the Bengal to Barbados Foundation Inc. and East Indian communities. The project showcases the diversity and impact of East Indian-Bajan identity, the Migration stories from the regions of Bengal, Gujarat, Sindh, and South India.

Indian Community

People of Indian origin came as indentured labourers and many of them have since acquired local nationality. Most of them are from Surat district of Gujarat known as “Suratis”. There are also about Sindhi families (mainly engaged in Business) and NRIs as medical students, professionals engaged in the fields of Education and Medicine, Financial Services & IT. Most of these PIOs have got assimilated in the mainstream local society. Barbados has been included in the list of eTV for 113 countries, whose nationals can avail e-visa facility. The Government of Barbados has included India in the list of countries whose nationals do not require visas with effect from June, 2019.

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Useful Resources

Website: https://www.indembassysuriname.gov.in/

Facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/IndiaInSuriname https://www.facebook.com/iccr.suriname

Instgram: https://www.instagram.com/indembsuriname/

Twitter: https://x.com/indembsur?lang=en

 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoj4U_ST86i5GvkpwL8mbHA/videos