CARICOM Deputy Secretary General Dr. Manorma Soeknandan says that CARICOM should not go through the recent EU experience whereby the United Kingdom decided to leave that grouping. She was speaking at the opening ceremony of a Regional Technical Meeting on the implementation of 10th European Development Fund (EDF) CSME and Economic Integration Programme on Friday 24 June.

Dr. Soeknandan said “we need all to be on board, CARICOM Members must stand in integration together and be committed together, struggle together and together achieve.” She was speaking after the delivery of remarks by the Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Eastern Caribbean Countries, OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM, Ambassador Mikael Barfod. Ambassador Barfod stated that Friday was a sad day for him.

The CARICOM Deputy Secretary General says that if “CARICOM has challenges, hurdles…together putting our shoulders under those will only make us stronger…losing one is not the answer” She hopes that CARICOM will never have to deal with what the European Union is now undergoing. She opined that is another reason for the regional technical meeting to solve certain issues.