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Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean??

There is a heightened air of expectation that the current relations that exist between the 15-member CARICOM grouping of states and Mexico will be further strengthened by the end of their upcoming summit here in Barbados.

"This will redound to the benefit of individual countries like the host country Barbados, as well as to the region in general," according to an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The May 20-21 meeting at Hilton Barbados will bring together the Heads of State and Government of the aforementioned countries in face-to-face dialogue over a number of agenda items that are crucial to their development.

The first such forum was held in Mexico in February 2010. Ahead of next week’s meeting, the Foreign Affairs official has pointed to a level of increased cooperation between CARICOM countries and Mexico, and in particular to steadily improving relations between this country and Mexico.

She said: "Only recently, Mexico’s Ambassador to Barbados, Mario Eugenio Arriola Woog, during talks here with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean, explained that the summit would provide both sides with an opportunity to expand and build on their relations."

At that meeting, Minister McClean had noted that the pending conference was critical for determining areas of further collaboration, particularly in business and trade, safety and health, and various greening initiatives; and she made the observation that Mexico also recognised the need to be more present in CARICOM.

For her part, Foreign Affairs Minister McClean pointed out that as Mexico continued to play an active role in hemispheric integration, Barbados and CARICOM saw the need to foster closer ties with its Latin American counterpart.

In the bilateral context, Mexico, like Barbados, has a strong interest in strengthening approaches to Climate Change and the Green Economy.

ppetergreene@barbados.gov.bb

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