In recent years, El Salvador and India have greatly deepened their bilateral relationship.
This rapprochement as allowed both countries to maintain solid ties of friendship, which are reflected in the cooperation initiatives promoted by both parties for the benefit of the population.
These ties were strengthened during Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill’s visit to the Asian nation in 2023, when she met with her counterpart, External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, where both sides reiterated their desire to expand joint work in areas of shared interest.
This desire was reaffirmed in San Salvador in the middle of last year, when Foreign Minister Hill received India’s Minister of State for External Affairs and Textiles, Pabitra Margherita, to address various issues on the bilateral agenda, including the will to further strengthen and expand cooperation initiatives.
As a result, by the end of 2024, the two countries formalized a joint working agreement that made it possible for India to support El Salvador in the implementation of 25 development and welfare projects for the population, to be carried out over a period of five years.
In this sense, this alliance opened the doors for the Salvadoran government to execute 5 initiatives annually, each for an amount of upto USD $50,000, granted by the Government of India. Thus, for the five-year period, works for a total value of USD $1,250,000 are expected to be realized.
The funding is earmarked for the implementation of projects focused on the creation and improvement of infrastructure, as well as social projects in the areas of education, health, sanitation and community development, to name a few, as agreed with External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar.
With respect to this contribution, Minister Hill points out that “it strengthens and complements the strategic projects of transformation and benefit for all Salvadorans led by President Nayib Bukele”.
The diplomat also thanked the people and Government of India for “this show of solidarity and support for El Salvador, which strengthens the ties of friendship and solidarity between our two nations. By sealing this alliance, we demonstrate that, working together, we can build a more prosperous and sustainable future”.
The resources granted are administered by the Technical Secretariat for External Financing (SETEFE) of the Salvadoran Foreign Ministry, which guarantees transparency and good governance mechanisms, as well as the optimal use of this collaboration.
In addition, through the India-UN Fund, USD$1 million was allocated to the “Reading at Home” project, an initiative that contributed to the promotion of reading in Salvadoran homes. Similarly, this ally has opened scholarship programmes for the population.