CARICOM and Saudi Arabia on Thursday agreed at a groundbreaking summit to work together on food and energy security though Riyadh appeared to have extracted more than the region from the meeting, according to the statement issued afterwards.
Held in Riyadh, the Summit was co-chaired by Saudi Arabia’s controversial Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman and Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica.
According to the statement issued after the summit, the two sides agreed to join efforts to promote peace, security, stability and prosperity, “through mutual respect and cooperation between countries and regions, to achieve sustainable development and progress and maintain the rules-based international order based on adherence to international law and the UN Charter”.
Adherence to international and the UN Charter could be taken as a plus for Guyana in its standoff with Venezuela over the border controversy between the two countries.
The two sides agreed to bolster ties at the multilateral and bilateral levels, and in global fora by pursuing opportunities for “sustainable development, peace, security and stability, tourism infrastructure development, as well as creating business opportunities in the ICT/Global Digital Services sector and boosting trade and investment flows by creating mutually beneficial opportunities for joint investments, with special emphasis on sustainable infrastructure, renewables, trade, tourism, logistics, and connectivity”.
The summit agreed to promote trade and investment relations by enhancing public-private partnership and business-to-business relations between both regions, using available and new physical and online platforms, trade missions, exhibitions, seminars, conferences, and dialogue.
The meeting agreed to support Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh. It also welcomed Saudi Arabia’s Middle East Green Initiative (MGI), and its announcement to establish and host a dedicated MGI Secretariat and allocate US $2.5 billion to support MGI projects and governance. It also supported the announcement by Saudi Arabia about the establishment of an international water organization based in Riyadh, calling for further decisive global action.
Stressing the important role that CARICOM and the Saudi Arabia can play in hosting major sporting events, the Summit endorsed the candidacy of Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Cooperation in the development of sustainable and circular agriculture and in the promotion of sustainable food production, sustainable use and management of water resources and promote trade and investment opportunities in food and agri-based industries was also agreed.
“Build on the two regions’ cultural diversity, openness, and rich history to stress that tolerance and peaceful coexistence are among the most important values and principles for friendly relations between nations and cultures”, was also agreed.
Promoting the cultural and creative industries of CARICOM and Saudi Arabia through cultural festivals, art exhibitions, film festivals, workshops, book fairs and other events was also agreed along with the encouragement of the exchange of best practices and capacity building in the areas of museology, protection, conservation, and restoration of cultural and historical heritage.
Promotion of cooperation in the area of tourism, including heritage, cruise, sustainable and ecotourism, medical and wellness, tourism was also greenlighted.
The meeting stressed the importance and urgency of promoting joint action towards mitigating climate change and adapting to its impacts, protecting the environment and developing low carbon and clean energy technologies.
The two sides agreed to hold the Second Saudi Arabia-CARICOM Summit in 2026.
