BASSETERRE, St. Kitts and Nevis – Opening ceremonies for the 30th Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) were held this morning, February 26, at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino.
Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis and a Bahamas delegation, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren A. Henfield, are participating in the two-day meeting, during which some substantive issues will be addressed, including seeking to further advance measurable steps for action on the Caribbean Singe Market and Economy (CSME) which were identified at a Special Meeting of Heads in Trinidad and Tobago in December.
The issue of a single market and economy, which has strong support among some CARICOM members, is just as strongly opposed by a majority of Bahamians, making it extremely difficult for the Bahamian delegation to voice support for the matter.
Heads of Government are also scheduled examine recommendations from a Special Meeting of the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Transportation, held in St Vincent and the Grenadines on 18 February, which dealt with, among other things the Multilateral Air Services Agreement (MASA), proposals for a regional ferry service and easier security check-in for in-transit passengers.
MASA, when implemented, will serve as a mechanism to maximize the economic and social benefits arising from aviation activities for CARICOM air carriers, according to a recent article in CARICOM Today.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Minnis on Tuesday met with Her Excellency Kersti Kaljulaid, President of the Republic of Estonia, who was one of CARICOM’s special guests at the meeting.
Later, on her Facebook Page, President Kaljulaid posted: “Honoured to be a special guest at the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference in St Kitts and Nevis. Shared ideas on how to benefit from e-governance and digital. I encourage the Caribbean Community to create a single digital identity.”
Since regaining its independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Estonia has become one of the most economically successful of the European Union’s newer eastern European members. It is the most northerly of the three Baltic states, and has linguistic ties with Finland
Ruled at various times during the middle ages by Denmark, the German knights of the Livonian Order, and Sweden, Estonia ended up part of the Russian Empire in the 18th century, according to a BBC profile. “It experienced its first period of independence in 1918, following the end of the First World War and the collapse of the Russian Empire.”
As the fifth and current President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid has been in office since October 10, 2016 and is the first female head of state of Estonia since the country declared independence in 1918, as well as the youngest ever President, aged 46 at the time of her election.”
