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Opening Remarks by H.E. Edwin Carrington Ambassador Extraordinaire,  Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

On behalf of the Caribbean Community I have the signal honour and distinct pleasure to extend a very warm welcome to the distinguished delegation of Japan, particularly those of you that have travelled all the way from Japan to be with us today for the Sixteenth CARICOM-Japan Consultation.

May I also extend a warm welcome to my colleagues from the Member States of CARICOM, those who are here with us in Georgetown and those who are participating in capitals, via video conference.

As we are all aware the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Japan have forged a valuable and long-standing relationship, particularly since the formal establishment of relations in 1993. Indeed, the fact that this occasion marks the sixteenth time that officials from CARICOM and Japan are engaging in consultations is testimony to our bonds of friendship, and also to the fact that our Japanese colleagues are no strangers to these shores.

Since the formal establishment of our relations, the fruit of our work has been evident in a number of cooperation initiatives and technical projects in a wide range of areas, all of which have redounded to the benefit of the Governments and Peoples of the CARICOM and Japan. Indeed, while the thrust of the CARICOM-Japan relations has been focused primarily on technical cooperation, largely through the mechanisms of the CARICOM-Japan Friendship and Cooperation Fund (JCFCF) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), there has been cooperation and support at the multilateral level as well.

 

Our engagement today, therefore, will afford us an opportunity to not only reaffirm the high regard in which the Community holds its relationship with Japan, but also to explore avenues where we can enhance cooperation even further, thereby ensuring a continuing mutually beneficial relationship.  

 The future CARICOM-Japan partnership must take into account not only the current situation of the Caribbean Community but as well as the various mandates of our CARICOM Heads.

At their recent Conference in Trinidad and Tobago at the beginning of July  CARICOM Heads of Government acknowledged for example that the future of CARICOM economies lies in the pursuit of a development path which engenders inclusiveness of all stakeholders and which would lift the knowledge base, the innovation capability, and the entrepreneurial capacity of CARICOM Nationals. The Community is now to focus on developing the modalities for a framework to generate sustainable economic growth and development in the CARICOM Region.  In this regard we look forward to collaborating with our development partners in the international Community, such as Japan.

 Your Excellencies, distinguished delegates, the Community is keenly aware that as a result of the global financial and economic crisis, many of our development partners face their own challenges, and Japan is no exception. CARICOM States are also cognizant that Japan continues to grapple with the after-effects of the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, which claimed the lives of many Japanese citizens, unfortunately. Also we are not unmindful of the resulting fall-out faced by Japan from the damage caused through the nuclear facility at Fukushima. Although the resilience of the Japanese people in overcoming these tragedies, and your stoic resolve in working quickly to restore and rebuild is an inspiration to the international community, we are aware of the effects that this tragedy has had on the Japanese economy.

Despite these challenges the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) was particularly pleased to engage in May this year discussions with your Parliamentary Vice-Minister, the Honourable Minoru Kiuchi. In this regard, Ministers were especially heartened to hear of the commitment by the Government of Japan to “drastically increase assistance” to the Region.

 Colleagues, friends the Second CARICOM-Japan Ministerial Conference in September 2010, brought new impetus to our partnership with the adoption of “A New Framework for Japan-CARICOM Cooperation for the Twenty-First Century”.  This Revised Framework recognized the changing realities in the global and regional environments since our inaugural Ministerial Meeting in 2000 and provided the scope for further collaboration in a number of political, economic and social areas.

These issues include the Global Financial and Economic Crisis, Integration into the Global Economy, the Environment and Climate Change, Human Development Issues and issues regarding the UN Security Council.

As the 2014 CARICOM-Japan Friendship Year is intended to celebrate our twenty (20) years of Cooperation, we look forward to advancing our discussions on how we can work together to help to promote and increase mutual awareness of our respective countries through increased people to people exchanges, and activities commemorative in their nature in diverse fields such as Culture, Trade and Tourism, among others. Rest assured that CARICOM States are prepared to mark this auspicious milestone in fitting manner.

 Co-Chair, we have a wide-ranging agenda in front of us, and therefore with these remarks, I once again welcome you and your delegation to the Caribbean Community. I look forward to fruitful deliberations during this Sixteenth Consultation, which I have every expectation will lead to a further consolidation and enrichment of a long-standing and much valued CARICOM-Japan partnership.

I thank you.

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