Port of Spain, July 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday became the first foreign leader to be conferred with 'The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago', the highest civilian award of the Caribbean nation, during his two-day visit to Port of Spain.

President of Trinidad and Tobago, Christine Kangaloo, conferred the award on Prime Minister Modi.

"I express my heartfelt gratitude to you, your government and people for conferring on me the highest national honour, the 'Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago'. This award is a symbol of the eternal and deep friendship between our two countries. I accept this award on behalf of 140 crore Indians," said PM Modi after accepting the award at a glittering ceremony.

Earlier, Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister, Kamala Persad Bissessar, while delivering glowing praise for the Indian PM, mentioned that the honour is being bestowed in recognition of his global leadership, deep ties with the Indian diaspora, and his humanitarian efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is the 25th international honour bestowed upon PM Modi by a country and the second since Wednesday when he was conferred the 'Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana', the country's national honour in recognition of his "distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership" by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama in Accra, just before arriving in Trinidad.

The awards, analysts reckon, underline PM Modi's unmatched stature - no Prime Minister of India has ever had such a profound global impact, they assert - as a global statesman who remains committed to regional peace, development, and spiritual diplomacy.

"For the first time, India's foreign policy is unapologetically 'India First' — clear-headed, confident, and consistent. The world is not just watching; it is acknowledging and respecting this new India," a former diplomat opined.

In June, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides had conferred upon Prime Minister Modi Cyprus's honour – the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III – at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia.

Earlier this year, Mauritius and Sri Lanka had conferred their highest civilian honours upon PM Modi.

In April, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake conferred Prime Minister Modi with 'Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana', the island nation's highest civilian honour for Heads of State and Government in a grand recognition of the Indian leader's efforts to strengthen the ties between the two neighbouring nations.

The conferring of the award was regarded as a powerful symbol of shared destinies, spiritual kinship, and a vision for progress rooted in mutual respect and trust between the two countries.

In March, during the National Day celebrations in Port Louis, Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhool also conferred the 'Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean' (GCSK) award, the highest civilian award of Mauritius, on Prime Minister Modi.

This was the first time that an Indian leader received the honour.

PM Modi had dedicated the award to the special friendship between India and Mauritius and to the 1.4 billion people of India and their 1.3 million "brothers and sisters in Mauritius".

In December 2924, Kuwait bestowed its highest honour 'The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer' to PM Modi, in appreciation of his distinguished achievements and the efforts made to strengthen the relations between the two countries.

The Order is awarded to Heads of State and foreign Sovereigns and to members of foreign royal families in sign of friendship.

It has been previously awarded to foreign leaders like Bill Clinton, Prince Charles and George Bush besides other dignitaries like Queen Elizabeth and Prince Muhammad bin Salman.

Before that, Prime Minister Modi was conferred with Guyana's highest civilian honour, 'The Order of Excellence', by the country's President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, for his visionary statesmanship, championing the rights of developing countries on the global stage, exceptional service to the global community and for his commitment to strengthening India-Guyana relations.

During the India-CARICOM Summit in Guyana, Dominica too conferred its highest national honour, the 'Dominica Award of Honour,' on PM Modi in acknowledgement of his pivotal support during the Covid-19 pandemic and his commitment to fostering India-Dominica relations.

Nigeria conferred the national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Prime Minister Modi during his first official visit to the country in November 2024.

The Indian PM was the first foreign leader to be conferred with the award since 1969 when Queen Elizabeth received Nigeria's highest national honour.

Before Kuwait, Guyana, Dominica and Nigeria, PM Modi had been conferred highest civilian honours in Saudi Arabia (King Abdulaziz Sash, 2016), Afghanistan (State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan, 2016), Palestine (Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award, 2018), UAE (Order of Zayed Award, 2019), Russia (Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, 2019 - received by PM Modi in July 2024), Maldives (Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin, 2019), Bahrain (King Hamad Order of the Renaissance, 2019), US (Legion of Merit by the US Armed Forces in 2020), Bhutan (Order of the Druk Gyalpo, 2021) Papua New Guinea (Ebakl Award, 2023), Fiji (Companion of the Order of Fiji, 2023), Papua New Guinea (Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu, 2023), Egypt (Order of Nile, 2023), France (Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, 2023), Greece (Grand Cross of the Order of Honour, 2023).

In addition to these highest civilian honours, PM Modi has received several prestigious awards from renowned global organisations.

In 2018, he was awarded the Seoul Peace Prize by the Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation, in recognition of his contributions to global harmony and world peace.

In the same year, the United Nations honoured PM Modi with its highest environmental accolade, the Champions of The Earth Award, for his bold environmental leadership.

In 2019, PM Modi received the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award, which is annually awarded to leaders who demonstrate outstanding national leadership.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded PM Modi the Global Goalkeeper Award in 2019, in recognition of his efforts to transform India’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan into a mass movement for cleanliness.

In 2021, PM Modi received the Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award from Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), in recognition of his leadership on global energy and environmental sustainability.

--IANS

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