(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) In an effort to forge stronger ties with the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has established a Task Force which held its first meeting today (Tuesday, 4 November 2008) at the CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana.
The CARICOM Task Force on CARICOM–Dominican Republic Relations, which was established in 2007, is charged with the responsibility of making recommendations to the CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government on how to improve and enhance the existing relations between the Community and the Dominican Republic, including the relationship within CARIFORUM.
Delivering opening remarks this morning at the meeting, CARICOM Secretary-General, H.E. Edwin Carrington reposed confidence in the membership of the Task Force, noting that it was a very competent team “quite capable of discharging the mandate of the Conference…in an efficient and timely manner.”
The CARICOM Secretary-General outlined a number of partnership initiatives including the signing of the Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement in 1998; the merging of the CARIFORUM and CARICOM Secretariats and the signing of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, stating that those and other initiatives had paved the way for the strengthening of relations with the Dominican Republic. He noted however, that there were obstacles to the relationship; chief among them he said, was the “failure on both sides to implement to any significant degree, the provisions of the Free Trade Agreement,” and urged the Task Force to examine this and other issues over the next few months, with a view to making “solid recommendations for the Conference of Heads of Government.”
Mr. Carrington then thanked the members of the Task Force for “committing to the many activities and responsibilities that would be required of them during their tenure.
Among the activities in which the Task Force would be engaged are the conduct of a situation analysis of the relations between Dominican Republic and CARICOM, focusing on the political, socio-economic and commercial relations; an examination of the prevailing international and hemispheric environment and of how the political and economic priorities of the Caribbean Community within that environment would be affected by closer relations with the DR and a cost benefit analysis on the strengthening of the relations between the Community and the Dominican Republic.
Chairman of the Task Force, Ambassador Arthur Thompson underscored the spirit and urgency of the task at hand as well as the need for intensive and focused work and expressed confidence in the capabilities of his team to meet the Community’s expectations.
The Task Force comprises persons representing a balanced cross section of the Community: the Most Developed Countries (MDCs) and Less Developed Countries (LDCs), the Private Sector, Labour and Regional Institutions.
The Dominican Republic is one of the two members of CARIFORUM – Cuba being the other – which are not members of the Caribbean Community.
