An ongoing effort to strengthen regional alliances in the face of global instability was among the topics on the table when Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley attended the Association of Caribbean States Heads of Government Conference last Thursday and Friday in Cartagena, Colombia.
The meeting drew political leaders from 33 Caribbean countries and territories from the Americas and the Caribbean Community, Mr. Wheatley told the House of Assembly on Tuesday.
“On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, we discussed the importance of renewing the ACS as a vehicle for regional cooperation in response to the unstable international environment,” he said. “We have pledged to deepen our cooperation on trade, disaster risk reduction and regional transportation, among other things.”
Besides discussing integration, multilateralism and sustainable development, he said, attendees recognised the importance of developing regional trade and transportation in order to reduce reliance on the United States.
To help the Virgin Islands further that goal, Mr. Wheatley met with Dominican Republic Vice Minister for International Cooperation Hugo Rivera in the margins of the summit.
“We discussed the progress of plans for an official Virgin Islands trade mission to the Dominican Republic in the weeks ahead to build on a preliminary visit by … various local businesses in the food and beverage sector,” he said.
He added that he led a similar trade mission to St. Maarten last month, and Junior Minister for Trade and Economic Development Lorna Smith is leading another to the Cayman Islands.
Regional links
Other efforts to boost regional links are ongoing, according to the premier.
“Importantly, my administration is also involved in discussions on deepening regional cooperation with the Caribbean Community and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States,” he said. “This has involved technical and regional meetings of senior trade officials, high level meetings of ministers of trade, and high level meetings of ministers of agriculture.”
Deputy Speaker Karl Dawson, he said, has represented the government at ministerial meetings along with VI officials responsible for trade, agriculture and fisheries.
Meanwhile, to address irregular migration, VI officials are also engaging with partners including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Caricom IMPACS, the Bahamas government and the United Kingdom, among others, Mr. Wheatley said.
During his trip from May 28 to Saturday, Deputy Premier Julian Fraser acted as premier.
British Caribbean News
