Editorial

Prime Minister Attends CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting in Guyana

Andrew-Holness-Official-2-640x425The Most Honourable Prime Minister Andrew Holness leads Jamaica’s delegation to the 37th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM being held in Georgetown, Guyana, July 4-6 under the Chairmanship of the Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica. The Prime Minister and his delegation left the island yesterday (Sunday, July 3).
The meeting is being co-hosted by the Government of Guyana and the CARICOM Secretariat and will cover a range of issues including regional security, CARICOM Cuba Relations, CARICOM Dominican Republic Relations, CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), free movement and facilitation of travel within the Caribbean Community, Citizenship by Investment Programmes (CIP), Brexit, Correspondent Banking, Cricket and Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D).
The Prime Minister will hold bilateral talks with several leaders in CARICOM in an effort to strengthen relations and cooperation, as well as to consider pertinent CARICOM issues. He will also have bilateral discussions with special guest to the meeting, Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile.
Accompanying the Prime Minister are Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson-Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Mrs Elaine Foster-Allen, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister, Undersecretary for Bilateral, Regional and Hemispheric Relations in the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Joy Wheeler, His Excellency David Prendergast, High Commissioner, Jamaican High Commission, Robert Nesta Morgan, Director of Communications, Office of the Prime Minister, and other representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
The Prime Minister returns to the island on Friday, July 8. During his absence, Hon. Horace Chang will be in charge of Government.

Commentary

CARICOM is meeting following the historic vote to leave the EUROPEAN UNION by the United Kingdom. This vote changes the arrangement long in place as it relates to trade with the European block.

We hope this vote in the short term will not negatively impact our economy or that of small dependent states who need this arrangement to survive economically … so to speak.

Decisions taken at this meeting will no doubt chart the way forward for us in the Caribbean trading block.

Wait and see seems to be the way forward.

Commentary By Hopeton O’Connor Dennie is Senior International Correspondent & photojournalist for Vision Newspaper Canada

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