Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque has emphasised that small states working together could make a difference.

Speaking at a ceremony accepting the credentials of His Excellency Valdrack L. Jaentschke as Nicaragua’s Ambassador to CARICOM, Ambassador LaRocque stressed that working together in regional, hemispheric and international fora could ensure that the impediments to the development of small states would be addressed.

During the brief ceremony at CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters, Georgetown, Guyana, the Secretary-General noted the close cultural ties between CARICOM and Nicaragua, a fact also mentioned by Ambassador Jaentschke in his brief statement.

Secretary-General LaRocque said that relations between the two sides had been conducted primarily in the context of groupings such as the Central American Integration System (SICA), the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and the Organisation of American States (OAS).

“In going forward, as we share experiences and encourage greater people to people exchanges, CARICOM and Nicaragua relations will grow from strength to strength,” Ambassador LaRocque stated in welcoming Nicaragua to the “CARICOM family.”

Ambassador Jaentschke mentioned that Nicaragua, which is chair of SICA for the next six months, had declared itself a Caribbean Country through a constitutional amendment last September. As the first representative of his country to CARICOM, he said he looked forward to furthering co-operation and collaboration during his tenure.