Secretary General of CARICOM, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque (right) and Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy of the UAE, Omar Ghobash, exchange documents following the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of a Consultation and Cooperative Mechanism. (C.Pitt/BGIS)

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the establishment of a Consultation and Cooperative Mechanism.

The signing took place today on the sidelines of the 31st Inter-sessional Meeting of the Heads of Government of CARICOM at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

The MOU will act as a framework agreement that would allow CARICOM and the UAE to build and expand on various areas of cooperation, including tourism and trade.

Secretary General of CARICOM, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque signed the agreement, stating it was a great honour that he believes could be of benefit to their relationship.

“This agreement codifies what we have long wished to do, namely to establish a mechanism to formalize our discourse for formalizing our discussions in the area of tourism, trade, and intellectual property, as well as cooperating and coming to common views in the international arena.  I think it augurs very well for the relationship between us.  I look forward to us putting it into effect for the benefit of all the citizens of your great country and our community,” Mr. LaRocque said.

Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy of the UAE, Omar Ghobash, who signed on behalf of his country, said the UAE was pleased to have the agreement in place.

“We are really looking forward to taking our relationship with Caribbean states to the next level.  I know that my leadership has a great deal of interest in the region and there are already a number of different projects that have taken place.  This will help speed up the pace with which we can develop more relationships,” Mr. Ghobash said. 

shamkoe.pile@barbados.gov.bb

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