India - Montserrat Relations
Historical Perspective:
India enjoys cordial relations with Montserrat, a self-governing UK overseas territory in the Caribbean. It has a land area of 102 sq. km and a population of approximately 5000. Montserrat is concurrently accredited to our Mission in Port of Spain. Nearly 50 People of Indian Origin and 15 Indian families reside in Montserrat.
Montserrat has endured several volcanic activities following the first major eruption in 1995, which destroyed half of the Island, including its airport and capital Plymouth, with half of the population of 11,000 permanently leaving the Island. Brades is the new Capital city of Montserrat since then.
Visits:
2. No high-level bilateral visits have taken place so far.
Principal Agreements / MoUs between India and Montserrat:
3. MoU between the Government of India (GOI) and Government of Montserrat on Bilateral Relations was signed in September 2011, which covers the areas of culture, IT, SMEs, Agriculture and HRD.
Bilateral Cooperation:
4. Given the size of the country, our bilateral cooperation is limited. The Montserrat Government had conveyed its interest in cooperation with India in the areas of agriculture, SME’s, IT and culture. A Letter of Intent between the two governments was signed on 7 December 2010. To augment bilateral cooperation, a MoU in the areas of Technical Cooperation, Culture, Agriculture, Small Business Development, IT, Healthcare, Seismology and Sports etc. was signed by the High Commissioner and the Premier of Montserrat in September 2011. However, no high-level exchanges have taken place between India and Montserrat.
5.Capacity Building: India has been contributing to capacity building of Montserrat by providing training to its personnel at various training institutions in India under the ITEC programme. Presently we offer five ITEC slots to Montserrat and that are mostly utilized in the fields of ICT, management and training in SMEs.
Trade and Economy:
6. India exports mainly electrical machinery, equipments & parts and organic chemicals to Montserrat. Bilateral trade between India and Montserrat during 2019-20 amounted to US$0.06 million. For the period 2019-20, India’s exports to Montserrat were US$0.06 million and Montserrat’s exports were Nil. M/s Angelique International Limited, an Indian company, bagged a contract for supply, installation and commissioning of 1.5MW Diesel Generating Set at US$6.73 million. The contract has opened the doors for greater engagement of India in Montserrat.
Culture:
7. Indian cultural troupes visited Montserrat around St. Patrick’s Day in 2010, 2011 and 2013. On each of these occasions they were warmly welcomed.
Visa waiver for Indian nationals:
8. The Government of Montserrat has waived visa requirement for Indian nationals visiting Montserrat for tourism and business purposes for a period of three months. The Government of India has approved e-Tourist Visa for citizens of Montserrat.
Indian Community:
9. The Indian community comprises of about 15 business families (40 persons approximately), mostly businessmen and professionals including a doctor couple.
June 2021
