Belize's PM Briceno highlighted the importance of regional cooperation and expressed his rejection of the U.S. sanctions against the peoples of Venezuela and Cuba.
Fifteen countries belonging to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are holding their 43rd ordinary meeting in Paramaribo (Suriname), where they will discuss the implementation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).
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“Let us continue to be aware of the importance of solidarity and the spirit of a community when we address the issues on our agenda,” Suriname's President Chandrikapersad Santokhi opened the meeting on Sunday.
“After all, we must be united in our purpose, to advance the sustainable development of the countries in our region, while ensuring that no one is left behind,” he added.
At the meeting's opening ceremony, CARICOM Secretary Carla Barnett highlighted that Caribbean countries face numerous global challenges that could affect their growth path.
"We meet at a time of severe global crisis in three vital areas, namely, food, energy, and finance. Addressing solutions for our Region requires collective intellect and will to act together. This task is not beyond us, as we have proven time and again. Let us, therefore, once more unto the breach and make a difference in the lives of our people," she said.
HAPPENING NOW: Procession of the heads of state at the Opening Ceremonies for the 43rd Regular Meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting. pic.twitter.com/6EqcT08TtL
— Our News Bahamas (@OurNewsRev) July 3, 2022
On the first day of the CARICOM meeting, Belize's Prime Minister John Briceno also highlighted the importance of regional cooperation and expressed his rejection of the U.S. sanctions against the peoples of Venezuela and Cuba.
"Fuel prices have been too high for too long. We in the Caribbean call for immediate lifting of the sanction imposed on Venezuela so the revolutionary PetroCaribe program can be reinstated, providing our economies with much needed relief," he said, as reported by Kawsachun News.
Currently, CARICOM has 15 members and five associate members. Its member States are Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Within this regional integration scheme, the associate members are Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and Turks & Caicos.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) rejects the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua from the Summit of the Americas. pic.twitter.com/TOeXmFnUif
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) May 12, 2022