![Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, as he addressed regional leaders virtually, at the 44th CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting at the Grand Hyatt, Baha Mar, The Bahamas, on Friday 17 February 2023. [Image courtesy CARICOM Facebook]](https://s1.stabroeknews.com/images/2023/02/zelin-caricom.jpg)
(Trinidad Guardian) Caricom leaders, including Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, yesterday held virtual discussions with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy—and also focused attention on developments in Suriname, where protesters stormed the Parliament yesterday.
Zelenskyy, in his discussion with leaders yesterday morning, urged them to use their vote at the United Nations to support an upcoming resolution for peace in Ukraine.
The Office of the Prime Minister revealed Zelenskyy’s discussions in detailing Rowley’s participation on the final day of the 44th Caricom Summit in the Bahamas.
The OPM said Zelenskyy told Caricom leaders, “I thank you for being on the side of the law. I thank you for your efforts to bring stability to your region and the world.
“But real stability is possible only when we all together protect the world from state thuggery. So, I encourage you to further cooperation.”
Zelenskyy said next week, Ukraine will present a resolution on a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace in Ukraine at the UN’s General Assembly.
“… And hence, the restoration of the full force of the international rules-based order. Your votes matter,” Zelenskyy told Caricom heads.
T&T officials at the summit told the T&T Guardian that leaders also heard yesterday from a delegation from Suriname on the developments in that country.
Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, who was due to attend Guyana’s Energy Expo on Tuesday and the subsequent Caricom summit, was absent from both. He’d addressed both events via video, citing domestic issues in Suriname.
Yesterday, the Associated Press reported that hundreds of demonstrators made good on an earlier threat to protest, and had stormed Suriname’s Parliament. They broke windows and looted nearby businesses, protesting high fuel and electricity prices, other inflation and weakening of their currency. They also demanded Santokhi’s resignation. Police fired tear gas to quell protests.
On the first day of the Caricom Summit, leaders also engaged in heavy discussion on the situation in Haiti. The T&T Guardian was told yesterday afternoon that leaders will issue a statement on Haiti.
Also yesterday, T&T Prime Minister Rowley signed two Caricom agreements to allow for – among other things – further implementation of Caricom’s Single Market and the Economy. These are the Protocol to Amend Article 32 of the Revised Treaty and the Protocol for Enhanced Cooperation.
Rowley also engaged in bilateral discussions with Moon-Kyu Bang, Minister of Office for Government Policy and Coordination of the Republic of Korea.
The meeting focused on identifying areas for enhanced cooperation between the two countries, specifically in the areas of education and training, maritime and sustainable energy.
Also present at the bilateral meeting were Dongil Oh, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to T&T, as well Foreign Affairs Minister Amery Browne and Energy Minister Stuart Young