BARBADOS’?Prime Minister Freundel?Stuart was one of several Caribbean leaders who met with the secretary general of the Organisation of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, this week at the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), in the Mexican city of Mérida.
During the two-day meeting on April 28 and 29, Stuart, along with the president of Haiti, Michel Martelly; the president of Guyana, Donald Ramotar; the president-elect of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solís; the Foreign Minister of Haiti, Duly Brutus; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, among others, held talks on the sidelines with the OAS chief.
The summit is a crucial meeting place for the discussion of the problems and challenges presented by the international agenda and for the strengthening of historical, economic, social and cultural ties among the peoples of the Caribbean, through clear strategies and concrete initiatives.
The event also allows for the outlining of clear goals and specific objectives in order for those ties to continue contributing to the development of the Caribbean states.
The Convention Establishing The Association Of Caribbean States (ACS) was signed on July 24, 1994, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, with the aim of promoting consultation, cooperation and concerted action among all the countries of the Caribbean.
The objectives of the association, based upon this convention, are the strengthening of the regional cooperation and integration process, with a view to creating an enhanced economic space; preserving the environmental integrity of the Caribbean Sea which is regarded as the common patrimony of the peoples of the region; and promoting the sustainable development of the Greater Caribbean. Its current areas of focus are commerce, transport sustainable tourism and natural disasters.
Stuart also attended the Third CARICOM-Mexico Summit at which he was invited to speak on: Options For Public Investment In The Area Of Disaster Risk Reduction. (AB)
