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Remarks by Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on the occasion of the Presentation of Credentials by His Excellency Mr. Jukka Pietikainen Plenipotentiary Representative (Designate) of Finland to CARICOM

16 MARCH 2017

  • Your Excellency Jukka Pietikäinen, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Finland to the Caribbean Community
  • Mr. Peter Abdool, Honorary Consul of Finland to Guyana
  • Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat

Your Excellency, it is my distinct honour to accept your Letter of Credence and extend congratulations to you on your appointment as the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Finland to CARICOM.  I am also pleased to welcome you to the Headquarters of the Caribbean Community.  I look forward to our working together to strengthen the excellent relations between Finland and CARICOM and continuing the meaningful and productive dialogue we have fostered over the years.

Ambassador, since Finland accredited its first Ambassador to the Community in 2010, you have been a friend and a partner in providing assistance to our Region’s integration efforts.

Your country was among the earliest contributors to the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) and continues to share its expertise with the Community in education, renewable energy and meteorology.  These are all areas which are critical to the sustainable development of our Member States.

Finland has also been very instrumental in forging a closer relationship between our Community and the Nordic Countries.  Our annual dialogue with Foreign Ministers of the Nordic Region in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly is a welcomed opportunity for an exchange of views, as well as the promotion of greater understanding between our countries.

The signing of the MOU on Political Dialogue and Technical Cooperation between CARICOM and the countries of the Nordic Region in September 2016, symbolizes the importance that both sides place on this relationship.

The MOU identified a number of priority areas in which we will collaborate. I look forward to advancing our co-operation in those areas as well as in international fora.

HIS EXCELLENCY MR. JUKKA PIETIKÄINEN PLENIPOTENTIARY REPRESENTATIVE (Designate) OF FINLAND TO CARICOM
HIS EXCELLENCY MR. JUKKA PIETIKÄINEN PLENIPOTENTIARY REPRESENTATIVE (Designate) OF FINLAND TO CARICOM

Excellency, as the global landscape becomes increasingly uncertain, our Member States continue to grapple with challenges to our best efforts to advance our socio-economic interests as a Region. Global agreements which speak to sustainable development take on a special significance for our Region which is largely made up of Small-Island and Low-Lying Coastal Developing States (SIDS).  Adequate access to the necessary development funding to finance our development efforts, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is an ever-present issue in our diplomatic advocacy.

The Caribbean Community firmly believes that GDP per capita should not be the only measure used in determining the development status of a country, and hence its access to concessional financing.  CARICOM continues to urge our international development partners to revisit their policies on graduation of SIDS that are categorised as middle-income countries based on the flawed criteria of GDP per capita.

Here in CARICOM, we believe that criteria such as the degree of vulnerability, including exposure to natural disasters and other exogenous shocks inherent to our Member States, can facilitate a more reliable and accurate measure of a country’s developmental progress.  Already, there are global partners who have demonstrated a willingness to take that reality into account.

Excellency, some Members of the European Union have categorized some of our Member States as non-co-operative tax jurisdictions. Their insistence on listing some of our Member States as, “high-risk and non-cooperative jurisdictions” despite the fact that the countries in question are not so designated by the relevant global authorities is of significant concern to us.

CARICOM remains steadfast in its efforts to protect the integrity of its financial system by ensuring compliance with relevant global standards.

The global regulatory bodies have determined that CARICOM Member States are compliant with the international standards set for regulating the financial services sector. We request that that standard be accepted by all as the basis of assessing our compliance.

One consequence of this “blacklisting” is the “de-risking” strategies being employed by certain international banks which result in the withdrawal of correspondent banking relationships.  This particularly affects our indigenous banks and other financial services entities and could lead to the disconnection of our small economies from the global economy.  Its socio-economic impact would be disastrous, given that remittances which are the main source of income for many of our poorest citizens will be affected.

Excellency, please allow me to express the appreciation of CARICOM for the attention shown by the Government of Finland towards the UN negotiations which resulted in the 2030 Development Agenda.  I also want to thank Finland for its support of our efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and in the positions adopted in the negotiations for a global response.

With these remarks, Ambassador, let me once again extend to you a warm welcome to the Caribbean Community and best wishes for a most successful tenure in your role as the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Finland.  I can assure you of my full support and that of the staff of the Secretariat as we work together to strengthen the relations between Finland and the Caribbean Community.

Thank you!!

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