(Trinidad Guardian) Suriname is expected to be added to the list of Caricom countries to be served by the inter-regional cargo ferry service which is in development.
The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said fruitful discussions on that major maritime transportation initiative were had during the first session yesterday at the 46th Regular Meeting of the Caricom Heads of Government in Georgetown, Guyana.
A media release from OPM stated, “Maritime transportation, specifically the imminent launch of an inter-regional cargo ferry that will operate the Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Guyana routes, also engaged leaders during this morning’s session. It is expected that Suriname will be added to the ferry’s route.”
The release said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was happy with how talks developed yesterday in Guyana.
“Prime Minister Rowley said he was pleased with the level of interest generated by the decision to launch the ferry and assured that the Government is committed to ensuring the commercial preparatory work is completed,” the release stated.
It added that while Government committed to facilitating the incubation of the project, it is hoped that the private sector will play an integral role in the expansion of the ferry service.
The Galleon’s Passage has been identified as the vessel for the ferry service.
On February 19, while speaking at the launch of the Guyana Energy Conference 2024 and Supply Change Expo, Guyana President and current Chair of Caricom, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali highlighted that investments in transportation could be lucrative in achieving regional food security.
Currently, Caricom is attempting to achieve its “25 by 2025 initiative” which aims to reduce the region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.
In other developments at yesterday’s morning session, Caricom heads received a detailed report on the progress the region has made towards increasing food production in member states.
This country’s Prime Minister also held bilateral discussions with Canada’s Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen. The talks were said to have focused on matters of national security, travel protocol and employment opportunities.
Rowley also met with the Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Omar Shehadeh.
The OPM said a commitment was made by both parties to enhance cooperation in the areas of aviation and the creation of a legislative framework to respond to the emerging issues related to the increased usage of Artificial Intelligence.
Guyana’s President, Ali is the current Chair of the Conference. In addressing a plenary session, Ali called for trust amongst Caricom citizens while its leaders navigate issues ranging from regional security, gang violence in Haiti, climate change, energy security and the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). Guyana’s President reflected on the intervention of St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves in the ongoing impasse between his country and Venezuela for the Essequibo region. Ali thanked Gonsalves for his role in “avoiding a very difficult situation for Guyana.” He said it spoke to the importance of trust between leaders in the region. An ethos he is hoping will reap benefits when dealing with Haiti’s current national crisis of gang violence.
He said, “When we trust each other in the region to find solutions amongst ourselves, and in this situation with Haiti this is important, we must trust the collective leadership and wisdom of Caricom. That is critical and that is the message we want the region to hear and understand.”
Today, regional heads and foreign ministers will meet in caucus at a special retreat. Among the issues to be examined during this session are Haiti, the Caribbean Development Bank and the CSME.
The conference will conclude on February 28.