​(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) My fellow Community nationals of Grenada, today I share with you a great sense of achievement.

The launch of the Grenada Coalition of Service Industries represents a feat in perseverance, and focused and positive tenacity in the face of severe economic and social challenges. You have stayed the regional course in the pursuit of long-term national, economic and social sustainability.

CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) My fellow Community nationals of Grenada, today I share with you a great sense of achievement.

The launch of the Grenada Coalition of Service Industries represents a feat in perseverance, and focused and positive tenacity in the face of severe economic and social challenges. You have stayed the regional course in the pursuit of long-term national, economic and social sustainability.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on Thursday accepted the Letter of Credence of His Excellency William Joseph, the new Ambassador of Grenada to CARICOM.

​(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) I have the honour and duty to chair this COTED Meeting in the absence of the designated-Chair. I therefore, have the pleasure of welcoming all Ministers, Heads of Delegations and other representatives to this meeting of the COTED. I wish to extend a special welcome to the Honourable Arnaldo Brown, Minister of State, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, who is attending his first COTED Meeting.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) I extend a warm welcome to you all to this the Thirty-Fourth Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED). In extending this welcome, I do so specially to the Honourable Arnaldo Brown, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, Honourable Alva Baptiste, Minister of External Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation and the Honourable Emma Hippolyte, Minister of Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs both of Saint Lucia.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) I have the honour and duty to chair this COTED Meeting in the absence of the designated-Chair. I therefore, have the pleasure of welcoming all Ministers, Heads of Delegations and other representatives to this meeting of the COTED. I wish to extend a special welcome to the Honourable Arnaldo Brown, Minister of State, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, who is attending his first COTED Meeting.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) In the face of the challenges currently confronting the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Member States needed to fend more for themselves and expand intra-regional trade within the Community. This was the charge laid down by Honourable Dr. John Collin McIntyre, Minister of Employment, Trade, Industry, Consumer and Diaspora Affairs of Dominica and Chairman of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) as he spoke Thursday at the opening ceremony of the 34th Meeting of COTED in Georgetown, Guyana.

​(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) In October 2011, I visited Brussels, Belgium to participate in a Meeting of Heads of African, Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP) Regional Organisations and Chief Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Negotiators. During that Meeting, the Commission of the European Union (EU) provided information that by the end of 2011, the Caribbean Forum of the ACP (CARIFORUM) would have programmed 80% of the Euro 165 million available under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Regional Indicative Programme.

​(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) This is a great pleasure for me, both as the representative of the European Union, a development partner to CARIFORUM and as a strong believer in Regional Integration as an instrument towards achieving sustainable economic development, to be here today.

Indeed, we are about to sign three Financing Agreements for three important programmes which were identified and developed jointly, based on the Region priorities.