Nicaragua
Bilateral relations between India and Nicaragua are warm and friendly. Diplomatic relations between India and Nicaragua were established in March 1983. The Indian Embassy in Panama is concurrently accredited to Nicaragua. Nicaragua earlier had an Embassy in India, which was closed down in 1990. Currently, Nicaragua’s Embassy in Tokyo is concurrently accredited to India. Nicaragua has Honorary Consuls General in Delhi and Mumbai. Recently, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India has accorded its approval to open a Resident Mission of Nicaragua in New Delhi.
Cooperation to tackle the challenge of COVID-19 Pandemic
- Government of India has donated 400,000 million made-in-India doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Nicaragua and also supplied 135,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses under Covax scheme to fight against Covid-19.
- In 2020, India has donated medical aid package for Covid-19 related medical assistance consisting of 3,10,000 HCQL tablets and other medicines and medical supplies.
- India has made donation of medicines worth approximately US$ 2 million over the years to Nicaragua. Government of India donated 1530 Kgs. of medicines worth Indian Rupees 8,52,185/- to Nicaragua to combat dengue in April 2014, under the GoI Development Partnership Initiative. India donated medicines worth US$ 50,000 to Nicaragua in 2018, and the consignment of medicines was delivered to the Ministry of Health of Nicaragua.
Capacity Building & Other Exchanges
- As part of India’s offer to Central American Integration System (SICA) countries to establish IT Training Centres in each capital, an IT Centre was set up in the Nicaraguan capital, Managua and was handed over to the host government in 2011. Mr. Guillermo Gonzales, Renewable Energy Analyst of the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Nicaragua participated in the Advanced Orientation Program in Solar Energy Technologies for the focal points of the International Renewable Energy Agency in April 2017 at the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gurugram, Haryana.
- Government of India had offered 5 ITEC slots during 2018-19 to Nicaragua and all were utilized. In 2019-20, the ITEC slots allocated to Nicaragua have been increased to 10. Under Atal Bihari Vajpayee General Scholarship Scheme of ICCR, Nicaragua has been offered 2 Scholarship slots for the Academic Year 2022-23, and 1 Scholarship Slot for the year 2023-24.
Development Cooperation (Grants/ LoCs/ Assistance)
- India accords importance to deepening of development partnership ties with Nicaragua.
- Government of India has extended a total of five Lines of Credit (LOC) amounting to a total of US$ 94.98 million to the Government of Nicaragua. These include Line of Credit (LoC) of US$ 10 million in March 2013 for supply of equipment from India for building two electric substations in Nicaragua.
- US$ 26.24 million in July 2014 for building Carlos Fonseca Substation, 95 Km Transmission Lines and expansion of three Substations (Villa El Carmen, Las Colinas & San Rafael del Sur) in Nicaragua, both of which have been completed.
- India had waived repayment of Rs. 125 million LoC in March 2004.
- Govt. of India has also approved three more LoCs to Nicaragua in the Power and Health sectors, which includes US$ 31.29 million LOC in March 2015 for Transmission Lines and substation project, US$ 20.10 million in January 2020 for reconstruction of Aldo Chavarria Hospital and US$ 7.35 million in February 2021 for replacement of equipment of the High technology centre for the Antonio Lenin Fonseca Hospital in Managua.
