GEORGETOWN – The Caribbean Community (Caricom) has welcomed the opportunity to engage with the new Government of Japan early in its tenure. This sentiment was relayed by the chair of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) and the foreign minister of Dominica, Dr Vince Henderson, during a recent visit to Tokyo. Henderson was at the time speaking at a welcome reception at the Iikura Guest House ahead of the eighth Japan-Caricom Ministerial Conference held last week. Hosted by Japan’s new minister of foreign affair, Takeshi Iwaya, the reception was attended by the foreign ministers and other high-level officials from 14 Caricom countries and distinguished guests from Japan and Caricom countries.

Henderson highlighted key milestones in Caricom-Japan relations, including a 2014 heads of government summit, seven ministerial meetings, and 19 technical cooperation engagements. These efforts have fostered developments in various sectors such as SMEs, trade fairs, agriculture, fisheries, IT, environmental conservation, disaster risk reduction, climate change, energy, culture, and tourism, the COFCOR chair stated. He also stressed the importance of continuing to support adaptive engagement frameworks, particularly the Japan-Caricom Friendship and Cooperation Fund, as a vital mechanism for addressing regional challenges. Meanwhile, Iwaya highlighted the strong partnership between Japan and Caricom countries despite their geographical distance. (Jamaicaobserver)

Photo: IWAYA… reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to ongoing cooperation with Caricom in the international arena.