(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Portuguese Republic have expressed interest in closer economic ties as a new envoy from the European country was welcomed to the Community.
CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett recently accepted the Letters of Credence of a new Portuguese Ambassador, His Excellency João Pedro de Vasconcelos Fins do Lago, at the Georgetown Guyana Headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat.
Secretary-General Barnett underscored CARICOM’s interest in strengthening ties with Portugal, noting,
“We look forward to working closely with you to build on the existing foundation of our diplomatic relationship and develop opportunities in areas of mutual interest, including culture, people-to-people exchanges, trade, and investment.”
Highlighting Caribbean nations’ acute vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, Dr. Barnett said that through sharing experiences and knowledge with countries like Portugal, the Community can strengthen its collective response to climate change.
A display of the Letters of Credence of His Excellency João Pedro de Vasconcelos Fins do Lago
“We look forward to working with international partners such as Portugal to advocate for ambitious climate action at the multilateral level, especially as we approach the 29th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29),” the Secretary-General stated.
She called on Portugal’s support to advocate for the implementation of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index to replace the outdated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita criterion for classifying countries for development assistance and provide a more accurate reflection of the complex challenges facing many developing states.
Portugal’s advocacy to its EU counterparts regarding the unjust and unfair blacklisting of several CARICOM Member States as “non-cooperative tax jurisdictions,” would also be appreciated, the Secretary-General noted.
“This discriminatory practice has tarnished the reputation of these Member States, hindering their correspondent banking relationships, financial operations, trade, investment flows, and the vital remittances received from nationals abroad,” she stated.
The Portuguese envoy told the Secretary-General that his country regarded the Region as a “natural, liked-minded and fundamental partner for the defence of a rules-based international order based on multilateralism, cooperation, and dialogue.”
He lauded the fundamental role the Community has played in ensuing that the Caribbean remains a zone of peace and security.
“In these troubled times, this is an invaluable contribution not only to the region, but also the world,” the Portuguese envoy stated as he pledged to work to explore new paths for cooperation between his country and CARICOM.
He also said Portugal recognised the pivotal role that CARICOM played in the negotiation of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction in which the country has also been actively involved and intends to complete its internal process of ratification by early 2025.
