(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The government of the United Kingdom is keen on helping to build the Region’s capacity to tackle crime, His Excellency Fraser Wheeler, newly-accredited Plenipotentiary Representative of the United Kingdom to CARICOM, said Friday.

 

In remarks after he presented his letters of credence to His Excellency Edwin Carrington, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Representative Wheeler, who is also United Kingdom High Commissioner to Guyana, said the United Kingdom and CARICOM had a “joint shared interest” in confronting crime and security and that his government “remains keen” on helping to build the Region’s capacity to tackle crime.

 

Mr. Wheeler, the first envoy from the United Kingdom to be accredited to CARICOM, hailed the partnership between the UK and CARICOM on security during the Cricket World Cup in 2007, as a “great success”; one that needed to be solidified to take forward action in this area of crime and security, he said. He reassured Secretary-General Carrington of his commitment to the process and hoped the two parties could work together to achieve those goals.

 

Commenting on the “extraordinary relationship” between the UK and the Caribbean, the UK representative said it was “characterised by evolution from dependence to independence and partnership.” The relationship had matured to one of “mutual interest respect and support; underpinned by shared values, understanding and real affection,” he added.

 

Those factors, the Ambassador said, were “powerful tools” with which both the UK and CARICOM could “confront challenges and take opportunities together in this increasingly complex world.”