(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) A state-of-the-art Fire and Rescue Tender was on Thursday June 12, 2008, presented to the Ministry of Home Affairs by the CARICOM Secretariat as part of a co-operation agreement between the Caribbean Community and the Government of Korea.

The truck, a Daewoo NOVUS, was presented to Minister of Home Affairs, Honourable Clement Rohee by the, His Excellency Edwin W. Carrington, CARICOM Secretary-General. at the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) Ogle Airport unit, the beneficiary of the equipment.

In his remarks, The Secretary-General described the gift as a “tangible manifestation of the cooperation between the Government of Korea, CARICOM, and the European Union.”

Underscoring the support of the Korean Government to the Caribbean Community, he cited also Korea’s assistance in the areas of transportation and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

Secretary-General. Carrington noted that the Ogle Airport is uniquely important to the regional integration process because of its proximity to the CARICOM Secretariat and consequent advantages for ease of communication for attendance at meetings and other business of the Community.

Chief Executive Officer and Project Coordinator of Ogle Airport Inc, Colonel Anthony Mekdeci said that the airport management was “ecstatic” with the acquisition of the “custom-made” fire fighting equipment. He assured the Secretariat that since a pre-requisite for an airport to be accredited for international travel is its capacity to handle fire emergencies, the gift from the Korean Government will assist immensely in this certification process.

Col. Mekdeci added that the Tender, along with the highly trained service rendered to the airport by the GFS, would raise Ogle Airport to a category five standard, in the Charter for International Convention on Civil Aviation.

The Minister of Home Affairs expressed appreciation to the Secretary-General for the integral role he played in the negotiations for the fire fighting equipment, noting that it was a “manifestation of his futuristic thinking” to improve the standards of the Ogle Airport.

Describing the gift as a “wonderful gesture” by the Government of Korea, the Minister said that it would assist in building the capacity of the airport to ultimately be a municipal one, similar to those which exist in other CARICOM member states.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer (Ag), Marlon Gentle, who received the keys to the custom made fire-fighting truck from the Minister, said that the GFS will ensure that it is kept in a full state of readiness for the purpose it was intended. He noted that the servicemen have already received training in the use of the equipment.

An Agreement between CARICOM and the Republic of Korea for the establishment of a Consultation and Cooperation Mechanism was signed in May 2006.