(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) CARICOM Secretary-General Edwin Carrington today highlighted the appreciation of the Governments and peoples of CARICOM to the Government and People of Australia for Australia’s prompt and substantial response to the Haiti earthquake and its catastrophic consequences to life, property and overall, a swath of Haiti’s infrastructure.

In his remarks at a ceremony for the Presentation of Credentials by His Excellency Philip Kentwell, Austalia’s first Plenipotentiary Representative to CARICOM, Secretary-General Carrington said “your government’s commitment to contribute to the longer term development of Haiti, in partnership with CARICOM, is most reassuring. We look forward to developing the modalities for collaboration in response to Haiti’s development needs in the coming months.”

CARICOM/Australia relations will be in the spotlight again next week as Australia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Stephen Smith attends the Thirteenth Meeting of CARICOM’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) in Dominica, 6-7 May 2010.

The Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) comprises Ministers Responsible for the Foreign Affairs of CARICOM Member States and is responsible for relations between the Community and international organisations and Third States.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org