CARICOM, India Ministers meet in New York

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Hon. Mark Brantley on Thursday joined his counterparts from CARICOM and India for the Second CARICOM-India Joint Ministerial Meeting in New York. The meeting was co-chaired by the Hon. Alva Baptiste of Saint Lucia, and the Hon. Swaraz Shushma of India. Minister Brantley was accompanied by Mr. Samuel Berridge, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of St. Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations.

A press release from the St. Kitts and Nevis Information Service said that Minister Brantley is currently in New York attending a cluster of meetings in the margins of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. He was part of a wider delegation headed by Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris, Ambassador Sam Condor, and Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr. Osbert De Suza.

Among the topics discussed at the CARICOM-India Joint Ministerial Meeting were capacity-building initiatives for CARICOM nationals in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Scholarships at top universities in India, and development of small and medium sized enterprises.

The release added that both sides also discussed cooperation in the international arena in topics like climate change, reform of the international financial system and UN Security Council.

Plans are also in place to facilitate a business event involving the Caribbean Chambers of Commerce and its counterpart in India. This, it was felt will generate a greater degree of people-to-people contact outside the realm of sports, specifically cricket.

The CARICOM-India Joint Ministerial Meeting served as a platform for St. Kitts and Nevis, and by extension, the rest of the Region to remain engaged with India, which is one of the world’s fastest growing economies.