Officials and Ministers of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), one of the chief organs of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), meet in Guyana on 23-25 January, to deliberate on a host of trade related and economic issues affecting the regional integration movement.
The COTED Officials will first meet on 23-24 January at the Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel to set the agenda for the Ministerial session on 25 January.
Hon. Ministers,
Other Heads of Delegations,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Heads of Regional Institutions,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media,
Staff of the Secretariat
Ministers and officials from the Region's Trade and Agricultural sectors will meet in Georgetown, Guyana over several days for a series of Meetings under the umbrella of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED). It will be the Eleventh Meeting of the Council, one of the four ministerial Organs of the Community, and the one that is charged with dealing with economic and trade issues.
The Tenth Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) which was convened in Georgetown, Guyana,11-12 January 2001 is dismayed at the decision of the Agriculture Council of the European Union to direct the Commission to prepare for a revised EU banana import regime based on the principle of "First Come, First Served" (FCFS).
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ministers responsible for Trade and Economic Development have agreed to a CARICOM position on Agriculture and Services in the current round of negotiations taking place in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The Tenth Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development [COTED] of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) received information from the Minister representing Belize on recent developments in the Belize-Guatemala border dispute.
Salutations.
Let me begin by first extending, on behalf of the Government and people of the Commonwealth of Dominica, a happy and prosperous 2001 to all my colleague Ministers, the Secretary-General, officials, and staff of the CARICOM Secretariat. It is our hope that the year 2001 will be for you and for all of us in CARICOM, a year of greater accomplishments and the fulfilment of hopes and dreams.
The Tenth Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), opened today at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana with officials beginning their first round of discussions on a wide range of issues described as "diverse and complex".
In setting the tone of the two-day meeting, Belizean Chairman Dr. Marcelino Avila, who is also the Chief Executive Officer and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives in Belize, urged his colleagues to make the 10th COTED "an outstanding success".
The Tenth Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) will focus on crucial issues concerning the establishment of CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) when the week-long officials and ministerial deliberations begin at the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat on 8 January, 2001.
The Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) has responsibility for overseeing all trade and economic development issues and covers all economic sectors of the Community.
This Meeting, its ninth focussed on the agriculture sector in addition to the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). Attention was also paid to CARICOM external economic and trade relations and intra-regional trade arrangements.
While seeking to ensure that the key elements for the establishment of the CSME are in place namely, the following are being attended to_