PARAMARIBO: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi has said that the GCC nations attached great importance to their relations with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and were keen on exploring further opportunities for trade, economy, investment, and tourism cooperation, to benefit from the potential of member countries of both organizations, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Speaking at the 16th Business Forum of the Greater Caribbean, which started on Monday in Paramaribo, Suriname, Albudaiwi said that the joint ministerial meeting between the GCC and the Caribbean Community, held on September 18, 2023, in New York, confirmed the ambitious desire of the foreign ministers of the GCC nations to build stronger cooperation with the Caribbean countries.
MoU for Cooperation
The two sides inked a memorandum of understanding and a joint action plan (2023-2027) that identified the main objectives and mechanisms for political dialogue, investment promotion, trade facilitation, and tourism cooperation. It will contribute to increasing trade and investment flows between the two regions, as well as cooperation between the two sides in all global forums, and coordination of their joint efforts to address the international economy’s challenges, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The forum was being organized under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Suriname Chan Santokhi and is attended by top-level personalities from CARICOM and representatives of several other nations and organizations.
Albudaiwi said that the GCC’s participation in the forum carried two important messages. The first was a practical step toward developing a close and long-term partnership that serves our interests and achieves our shared goals. Second, it was evidence of the seriousness, readiness, and commitment of the GCC to enhance our relationship with the Caribbean Community through the implementation of the joint action plan that was adopted in 2023.
Albudaiwi also presented statistics, figures, and achievements accomplished by the GCC nations at regional and international levels, which earned them a place among the strongest economies in the world and made them an attraction for all these economies.
Albudaiwi said that all GCC member countries, through their ambitious economic vision, aspire to build an economic bloc characterized by shared prosperity, sustainable development, a world free from poverty, and the ability to confront international economic challenges that need a commitment to shared values and objectives, to ensure a more prosperous, just, and sustainable global future.
معالي الأمين العام: دول #مجلس_التعاون تولي أهمية كبيرة لعلاقاتها مع دول رابطة الكاريبي، وتتطلع إلى استكشاف فرص التعاون التجاري والاستثماري والاقتصادي والسياحي، والاستفادة من الفرص والإمكانات الكامنة لدى الدول الأعضاء في المنظمتين.
https://t.co/xgBwfgzk9d#مجلس_التعاون… pic.twitter.com/wTQF8Cj0W2
— مجلس التعاون (@GCCSG) May 6, 2024
