Barbados committed to CSI

by in Barbados, News

Bridgetown.

Barbados' support for the Caribbean Sea Initiative (CSI) was reaffirmed recently as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Maxine McClean, received Mexican Ambassador, Mario Eugenio Arriola during a courtesy call at the Minister's Culloden Road headquarters.

Senator McClean's reaffirmation comes as she prepares to lead a Barbados delegation to the Fifth Association of Caribbean States (ACS) Summit of Heads of Government and State, scheduled to be held in Haiti on Friday, April 26, with preparatory meetings from April 23 to 25.

The Minister said: "While we are no longer heading it [the Caribbean Sea Commission, we remain supportive. It is part of our heritage, our patrimony… and the whole issue of the management of the CSI becomes for us a priority issue."

Ambassador Arriola, who is also accredited to the ACS, and is Chairman of the Ministerial Council of the Association, noted: "The ACS meeting in Haiti will put forward issues of importance to Barbados and the region, including tourism as a sector for employment and development." 

Minister McClean and Ambassador Arriola spoke about the need to have formal discussions in the ACS on disaster management. The overall objective of this exercise is to organise a comprehensive programme of best practices to assist the region in coping with natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes.

Senator McClean stated that given the inevitability of natural disasters in the Caribbean, within the ACS, there should be serious attention paid to securing insurance against natural phenomena. While pointing out that Barbados was in the throes of evaluating its offshore petroleum potential, the Minister noted that Mexico, a country with vast experience in petroleum exploration and regulation, as a bilateral partner, could offer technical assistance in this area. The Mexican Ambassador was amenable to the proposal, and they both pledged to follow through with formal communication.

The countries established diplomatic relations in 197mccleanandarriola2.