India's Modi in Guyana to strengthen ties, talk oil deal

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a state visit to the South American country of Guyana, where 40 percent of the population is of subcontinental origin. Modi signed cooperation agreements with President Irfaan Ali in the fields of agriculture, defense and hydrocarbons, the last of which the tiny nation possesses major reserves of.

Ali said Modi's visit was important to boost cooperation between two nations with a shared heritage "by culture, by blood." Modi will address a summit of the CARICOM bloc of Caribbean nations, headquartered in Georgetown, before leaving Guyana.