GERMANY REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO CARICOM

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Newly accredited German Ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), His Excellency Dr. Ernst Martens has committed to doing his utmost to advance the level of cooperation between his country and CARICOM, particularly in the area of protection from the negative effects of climate change.

At the presentation of his letters of credence to CARICOM Secretary-General His Excellency Edwin Carrington on Tuesday 30 October 2007 at the CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters in Georgetown, Ambassador Martens noted CARICOM’s “proud past and promising future” and indicated that “Germany will continue to contribute to this fine process.”

Secretary-General Carrington, in welcoming Ambassador Martens, noted that his accreditation had come at “an exciting time indeed for CARICOM”. The Secretary-General pointed to the maturing of CARICOM and its `Community for All’ approach to integration; the CARICOM Single Market that is virtually fully in place, and the efforts to establish the Single Economy. The framework for the Single Economy is expected to be in place by 2008.

The Secretary-General also highlighted areas of cooperation between Germany and CARICOM including the assistance to the CARICOM Youth Ambassador Programme; the CARICOM Technical Vocational and Educational Training Programme, and the co-financing of the Caribbean Renewable Energy Resources Project.

“Excellency, we look forward with great expectation to enlarging the areas of cooperation with Germany to include other critical issues such as Climate Change and, given Germany’s weighty role in the European Union (EU), the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) currently the subject of negotiations between the EU and CARIFORUM,” Secretary-General Carrington said.

Dr Martens succeeds first German Ambassador accredited to CARICOM, Ambassador Helmut Olhraun who has retired.