The British High Commission said the Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for the Caribbean and the Commonwealth reinforced the UK’s commitment to the Caribbean during talks with a range of regional representatives.
In a press release, the High Commission said Baroness Kinnock and participants discussed a number of important issues facing the UK and the Caribbean including crime, climate change, the future of the Commonwealth and the global recession. The event was organised with the help of the Caribbean Council.
At a reception following the talks, attended by over 150 members of the Caribbean community in the UK, the minister paid tribute to the “huge contribution” that the said community has made to life in the UK. She also lauded the cooperation between the two groups to tackle global challenges. Baroness Kinnock said the UK and Caribbean now share more than just good bilateral ties and historical and social links. “We also face common problems and challenges… the current economic crisis and drugs and organised crime,” she said.
Baroness Kinnock also said that the two territories must value their historic ties but they must also nurture their contemporary ties in order to build a common future together with strength and equity. The High Commission said the minister also paid tribute to the Commonwealth which will hold its Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad and Tobago this weekend. She was also quoted as saying there was “no organisation better placed to discuss and react to… poverty eradication and climate change” and called on guests to participate in the debate around the Commonwealth’s future through the Commonwealth Conversation Protection Act 1998.
