Belize is hosting a major regional meeting this week in Placencia. It's the 57th meeting of the SICA, or Central American Integration System.
The Presidents of 6 Central American nations are invited, though - many may just choose to send a representative.
In advance of the SICA meeting, there was another this morning; it's called the Economic & Political Dialogue between Ministers of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade for SICA & CARICOM.
Jamaica's Foreign Minister, Kamina Johnson Smith, addressed the opening as the Chair of CARCIOM's Council for Foreign and Community Relations:
Kamima Johnson Smith, Chair, COFCOR
"This joint ministerial engagement both of our communities can exchange ideas and learn about respective regional initiatives pertaining to trade facilitation, transportation and digital transformation in particular. This will in turn allow us to identify opportunities for collaboration and strengthening of trade relations between our regions."
"Although the negotiations for a free trade agreement between CARICOM and SICA did not progressed as we will all recall there are various trade agreements among respective member states and third-party states such as the EU partnership, the UK and United States under which our collaboration may be facilitated."
"Today presents a unique opportunity for us to explore possibilities for expanding the volume of trade between our respective sub-regions."
This morning's meeting was followed by an Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of SICA.
Belize's Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay said SCIA and CARICOM are connected by geography and political destiny:
Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Foreign Minister, Belize
"Colleagues, we are Caribbean. Somos Caribenos. It will not serve us well if we make any further commitments without delving into the common challenges that we face. Despite our urgent need for more comprehensive and less prohibitive mechanisms to access concessional financing for development, we constantly fall short of convincing the global north of the urgency of meeting this need. This underscores the importance of a sustained and concerted effort to highlight the severe in equities prevalent in the global south which are perpetuated by an outdated financial architecture. Against the backdrop of these challenges, Belize as the only state that is a member of CARICOM and SICA and therefore the bridge between the Caribbean and Central America considers it our duty to bring together both sub-regions to engage in deep and constructive dialogue. We aspire to a common voice advocating our concerns and demanding that they be address within the multilateral fora."
7NEWS will be at tomorrow's opening of the Summit of the Heads of Government of the Central American Integration System which starts at 9:00 at the Umaya Resort.
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