CARICOM, El Salvador enter new era of cooperation

Georgetown, September 23, 2014.- What was described as a “new era” of diplomatic relations between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and El Salvador began Friday (19 September) when Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, CARICOM Secretary-General accredited a new envoy from the Central American country.

His Excellency Raymundo Ernesto Rodriguez Diaz, Plenipotentiary Representative of San Salvador to CARICOM presented his Letters of Credence to the Secretary-General at the Georgetown, Guyana Headquarters of CARICOM.

Ambassador LaRocque said that while direct relations between the Community and El Salvador were still in their formative years, through the country’s membership of the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the ACS, the Community has had the opportunity to engage with it on issues that spawn regional security, disaster mitigation and management, renewable energy, health and disaster management.

He told the Ambassador that he was anticipating the meeting of CARCIOM and SICA in the margins of the 69th UN General Assembly later this month, as an opportunity to deepen the relationship.

“Ambassador, going forward, the Community looks forward to working with your government on key issues which I strongly believe CARICOM and El Salvador can successfully engage in order to find common ground and to facilitate advances within the international community. These include the definition of the Post 2015 Development Agenda, the continuing global climate change negotiations and the fight against the scourge of Non Communicable Diseases,” the Secretary-General said.

In response, the newly accredited Ambassador said: “The priority of my government is to strengthen diplomatic ties and cordial relations with the organization and all of the countries of the Caribbean Region. Undoubtedly, the Caribbean Community has set its own standard of liberty and union with an unimpeachable tradition of social and moral standards”.

Adding that his accreditation was symbolic of “the beginning of a new and promissory stage” in relations between the two parties, the Salvadoran Plenipotentiary Representative said his government was keen on the resumption of talks between CARICOM and SICA towards a free trade agreement.

He noted that El Salvador was also interested in developing “a new and promissory agenda” with CARICOM through cooperation arrangements which include joint action for the development of a common bilateral agenda for strengthening relations between the two parties.

On this basis, he said, his country was placing at the disposition of CARICOM, its national catalogue of south-south cooperation which comprises the experiences El Salvador has had in areas spawning social protection, education, environment and climate change, and security.

Deepening foreign policy coordination has been identified as an enabling strategic priority in the Community Strategic Plan (2015-2019) which was approved last July 2014.