(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the Honourable Baldwin Spencer extended congratulations and pledged full support to Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque during a courtesy call by the Secretary-General on the Prime Minister in St John’s, Antigua.

Secretary-General LaRocque is on a two day visit to Antigua and Barbuda during which apart from the Prime Minister, he met with Dr the Honourable Errol Cort, Chairman of the CARICOM Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) and Minister of National Security of Antigua and Barbuda. The Secretary-General also met on Monday with the Leader of the Opposition, the Honourable Lester Bird and the Chairman of the Opposition Antigua Labour Party, the Honourable Gaston Browne.

Prime Minister Spencer, in welcoming the Secretary-General, said he came to office at a critical juncture in the life of the Community and faced major challenges. He, nevertheless, expressed confidence in the ability of the Secretary-General to meet the challenges given Ambassador LaRocque’s “experience within the system.”

“You are in a good position to take the Community and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy to a higher level,” the Prime Minister told the Secretary-General. “You have a lot on your shoulders and will need co-operation and understanding at all levels to re-energise, refocus and rekindle the spirit of integration in a real way,” Prime Minister Spencer added.

Secretary-General LaRocque, in accepting the congratulations and best wishes of the Prime Minister, stated that he was aware of the challenges which were made even more difficult by the international situation.

Ambassador LaRocque told the Prime Minister that the review of the Secretariat and institutions of the Community generally was an important step in moving forward. “The regional architecture, as I like to refer to it, must function more efficiently,” the Secretary-General said.

Since his appointment, Secretary-General LaRocque said , he had been approached by people from all walks of life and while there had been a measure of cynicism, there had also been a great deal of hope and expectation. “I intend to bring the integration process more to the people so that they can see how much we have achieved,” the Secretary-General said.

In striving to make the regional agenda the national agenda, Ambassador LaRocque said “we must keep in sight, the development of Caribbean people. I take very seriously my mandate to bring the people into the formal integration arrangements.”

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org
                caricompublicinfo@gmail.com