The Government of India has dispatched humanitarian assistance to Jamaica and Cuba in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. 

Around 20 tonnes each to Jamaica and Cuba were sent as humanitarian aid and disaster relief from New Delhi on Thursday (November 6). India is the latest a growing list of friendly countries providing relief and emergency supplies to Jamaica.

In a social media post, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar advised that Indian Air Force aircraft carried aid, including Aarogya Maitri BHISHM Cube, rehabilitation support items, food and daily utilities, medicine, medical equipment, power generators, shelter support and hygiene kits.

He added that India stands with its Global South partners in the face of such natural disasters and will assist its friends in recovery and reconstruction. India and Jamaica established diplomatic relations on August 12, 1962, shortly after the island’s independence. 

The relationship is built on shared Commonwealth membership, parliamentary democracy, and historical and cultural links, including a significant Indian diaspora.

Cooperation between the two nations is expanding in areas like development assistance, economic partnerships, and technical programs, with both countries now having a resident high commission in the other’s capital.