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Honourable S.R. Insanally, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana Good evening. I am honoured at being afforded the opportunity, as Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, to extend a warm welcome to you all. It is a particular pleasure to extend a special welcome to the United Kingdom Delegation, and in doing so, I hope you will understand if I were to extend a very special welcome to the Premier of Bermuda, the Hon. Jennifer Smith. Mr. Secretary of State, I hope that your Delegation’s journey here, and that of our Caribbean Representatives travelling from London, has not been too arduous and that you will all find it possible to find some time to savour the beauty and delights of Guyana. We are all painfully aware however that this meeting is taking place at a time of mourning throughout the United Kingdom and beyond on the passing of Her Majesty the Queen Mother. We in the Caribbean join you in your sorrow, and give thanks for her remarkable life and contribution to us all. This evening marks a new and enhanced phase in the relationship being developed between the United Kingdom and the countries of the Caribbean Community. This Third Caribbean-UK Forum which will take place over the next two days, has grown out of a determination of the Parties to place their historical relationship on this “new and enhanced” footing, taking into account the changed circumstances of each other. This process which began in 1998 provides, through the establishment of the Forum, for structured Ministerial dialogue among all countries, members of the Caribbean Community, and, a United Kingdom, an integral part of the European Union. The recent discussion (in Coolum, Brisbane, Australia) among Heads of Delegations of the Caribbean Community and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, following the adoption of the Ministerial Task Force Report, also brought into play, an “Enhanced Forum” of Heads of Government, of the respective parties. This Caribbean-UK Ministerial structure is buttressed and supported by the Caribbean-UK Forum Committee consisting of Caribbean Heads of Mission in London, Foreign and Commonwealth Office representatives and the Caribbean Community Secretariat, thereby ensuring the appropriate blend of political, diplomatic and technical considerations. Given an appropriate transmission mechanism, this structure seems set to ensure the enhancement of and coherence in Caribbean-UK relations. Also, for us in the Caribbean, the need to have the UK effectively transmit our concerns to those important international fora in which the Region is not represented, makes such a mechanism a critical necessity at this time. This meeting can therefore prove to be decisive, as the agenda responds to some of the most critical issues in UK-Caribbean relations and in Caribbean development. It is against this background, and with high expectations that in my role as Chairman of this Opening Ceremony, I now invite the Honourable S.R. Insanally, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana to address the Forum. |
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