CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations Elizabeth Solomon (left) greets Japan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Takuma Miyaji (right) ahead of their meeting.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana--The Caribbean Community CARICOM welcomes the opportunity to engage with the new government of Japan early in its tenure, Dr. Vince Henderson, Chair of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) and the Foreign Minister of Dominica, said recently in Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Henderson was at the time speaking at a welcome reception at the Iikura Guest House ahead of the Eighth Japan-CARICOM Ministerial Conference which was convened on December 14.
Hosted by the new Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan 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 the CARICOM countries.
Dr. 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 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), trade fairs, agriculture, fisheries, information technology (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.
Minister Iwaya highlighted the strong partnership between Japan and CARICOM countries despite their geographical distance. He expressed optimism for productive discussions at the Eighth Japan-CARICOM Ministerial Conference and reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to ongoing cooperation with CARICOM in the international arena.
Challenges facing CARICOM countries will be addressed through Japan’s three-pillar policy, namely: cooperation towards sustainable development including overcoming vulnerabilities particular to Small Island Developing States (SIDS); deepening and expanding bonds founded on exchanges and friendship; and cooperation in addressing challenges confronting the international community.
The minister underscored the importance of people-to-people connections in fostering friendship and cooperation, noting that Japan hopes to expand these exchanges over the next decade.
Ahead of the CARICOM-Japan Ministerial Conference, foreign ministers paid a Courtesy Call on the new Prime Minister (PM) of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba. The PM affirmed Japan-CARICOM partnership and the importance of their cooperation in the international arena.
Elizabeth Solomon, Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations, is leading the CARICOM Secretariat’s delegation at the Conference. On December 13, she held bilateral talks with Japan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Takuma Miyaji. They emphasised the commitment of CARICOM and Japan to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperate internationally.
The eighth CARICOM-Japan Ministerial Meeting, which was held on December 14 in Tokyo, Japan, culminated the CARICOM-Japan Friendship Year 2024. The year marks three decades of friendship between the community and Japan, and 60 years of diplomatic relations between CARICOM and Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago respectively.
