Your Excellency, Jules Wijdenbosch, President of Suriname and Chairman of CARICOM
Colleague Heads of Government
Vice President Of Suriname
Speaker of the National Assembly
Ministers
Members of the Assembly
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Distinguished Delegates
Other Distinguished Guests
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
Other Countries
The Secretariats of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) will play host to a delegation from the Dominican Republic in Guyana as a lead activity to the Caribbean-US Forum on Trade and Investment which is scheduled to take place in the Dominican Republic 16-18 March 1999.
The delegation from the Dominican Republic will, on Friday 29 January 1999 have a series of meetings with officials from both the private and public sectors in Guyana as well as with the Deputy Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, Dr. Carla Barnett.
THE STATEMENT OF SANTO DOMINGOTHE CARIBBEAN ENCOUNTER_ TOWARDS THE 21ST CENTURY
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Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Forum of ACP States(CARIFORUM), the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and leaders of elegation of Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines;
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed on August 22, 1998 between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Dominican Republic will establish a Free Trade Area composed of 14 million people when it comes into effect.
The FTA will come into effect either on January 1, 1999 or upon completion of a plan of action scheduled to be completed ninety days after the signing of the Agreement. Both parties will then take the necessary administrative and legal action to give effect to the Agreement.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana)Â Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the President of Cuba will meet with the President of the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo from Thursday, 20 August-Saturday, 22 August 1998.
His Excellency, President Leonel Fernandez is hosting the meeting during celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the founding of the city of Santo Domingo and will also host a dinner in commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas, which established CARICOM.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana)Â The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and the Government of Chile cooperation initiative will continue to place emphasis for the next year on Small Enterprise Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Poverty Alleviation, Spanish language training and Inter-University Exchanges.
A three-member delegation from Chile is meeting (Thursday, July 23) with representatives of the CARICOM Secretariat at its Georgetown office in Guyana to address these priority areas in their 1998-1999 Work Programme.
The President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Mr Nelson Mandela has accepted an invitation from the Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr the Hon Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada to attend the XIX Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community.
The leaders discussed a number of regional, hemispheric and international issues. Particular attention was paid to the imminent Second Summit of the Americas due to be held in Santiago, Chile on the weekend, April 18-19, 1998.
Noting the equal relevance of both the economic and non-economic issues to be addressed in Santiago, prominence was given to the proposal expected to be adopted at the Summit to launch the negotiations towards the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Americas by the year 2005.
1. On 17 April 1998, on the eve of the Second Summit of the Americas, His Excellency the President of the Republic, Eduardo Frei, met with the Heads of States and Governments of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Specially invited to this Meeting was the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The integration process of the Caribbean Community is progressing well and the Region is making an effort to liberalise its market, in spite of the concern of countries about their vulnerability. So said Mr. Michael Kergin, Deputy Minister Americas, Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Canada at a joint press conference with CARICOM Secretary-General Edwin Carrington at the conclusion of the Ninth Meeting of the CARICOM-Canada Joint Trade and Economic Committee held at the CARICOM headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana on Friday 20 February 1998.