Press release 112/1999
(8 November 1999)

Co-Chairs, His Excellency Director General Takahiko Horimura of Japan and
Her Excellency Elisabeth Harper of Guyana
Other Distinguished Members of the Japanese Delegation
Other Distinguished Members of the Delegation of CARICOM
Member States and Associate Institutions
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen:

On this highly symbolic day, Diwali - the Hindu festival of Light - it is for me as Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, a most pleasant duty to welcome you all to this Seventh CARICOM/Japan Consultations here in Georgetown, Guyana.

In doing so I wish to extend a very special welcome to our friends and partners from Japan. Having had the experience ourselves of visiting your country, we all now know how far you have had to travel to be here with us and we wish to assure you of our deep appreciation.

In welcoming the representatives of CARICOM Member States and Associate Regional Institutions, I wish to extend a particularly warm personal welcome to someone whose work I believe had brought all of us great pleasure and pride. I speak of course of Sir Sydney Poitier. Welcome Sir Sydney. For us, your presence here in Guyana brings back the pleasant memories which you gave to us in that memorable film "To Sir With Love" in which you starred as a school teacher from British Guiana in England. I still own among my many memorabilia a home video of that outstanding and most touching performance. Welcome again.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it was in 1993 that the first encounter took place between CARICOM and Japan, to initiate the process of strengthening the bonds of friendship between the Caribbean Community and Japan. (I know that for certain as I was privileged to be there). Today we are gathered here in Georgetown, Guyana, the Headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat, for the 7^th such consultations in this still fledgling relationship which promises to be of great mutual value to both Japan and the Caribbean Community.

We are now at the turn of the century and after some six encounters, and as we embrace the general spirit of review of our achievements and prepare for a new century and millennium, it is necessary that we take a fresh look at the CARICOM/Japan relationship with all its potential and promise.

A quick review reveals many positive results. First of all there is no doubt that the political will and desire exist to develop and further strengthen cooperation and collaboration between Japan and the Caribbean Community.

Secondly, since the process was formally initiated a number of significant achievements have been realised. Prime amongst these, however, has been the greater knowledge gained of each other's societies, cultures and general ways of doing, which representatives of both sides have acquired through our increasing interaction, and especially the exchange of visits. This knowledge and appreciation provides the best foundation for the future development of sustainable cooperation between our two sides.

Thirdly, we have come to share certain common perspectives for the future and as was evident from our presentations at the recently concluded 22^nd Session of the United Nations on Small Islands Developing States, we have already begun to work jointly for their realisation.

It is against this background that the framework, the content, and the machinery for our future cooperation must be designed. In this process, given the nature of CARICOM, both regional and bilateral approaches would need to be pursued in a harmonised manner.

Co-Chairs, the vision for our future cooperation will find in its assured foundation a number of specific achievements - regional and bilateral - resulting from our consultations over the past years. For example, we at the Secretariat - the nerve centre of the Community - have benefitted among other ways, from the provision of Japanese technical assistance in developing expertise for project preparation. For this we are deeply indebted to your Mr. Nomachi, for whose two years' service we publicly express our thanks to him and to the Government of Japan. Mr. Co-chair, we eagerly look forward to his successor and assure you that all efforts would be made to ensure his complete and comfortable accommodation into the Secretariat so as to facilitate his maximum contribution.

But it is not only to the Secretariat that Japanese technical assistance to a regional organisation had gone. The RNM - the Community's specialist machinery for undertaking external economic negotiations, for example, is also highly appreciative of the assistance it has received from Japan, through the Inter-American Development Bank.

Japan's contribution has, as indicated earlier, not only been of a regional nature. Indeed a bilateral approach. There are others.

These latter measures can however benefit from a more sustained regional effort at assisting the Caribbean private sector initiatives, aimed at developing exports and attracting new investment in competitive industries in the Region. In this regard regional collaboration with Japanese partner organisations such as the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), of which there are offices in Central and South America, but none in the Caribbean, can help to heighten this Region's visibility and presence in the Japanese markets, as well as to improve its overall competitiveness in the global market place. It can also help to redress to some degree, the overwhelming imbalance which exists in CARICOM/Japan trade relations.

No less important than in the foundation is the regional emphasis in the Vision for the future development of the countries of the Caribbean Community. Barely two weeks ago the political directorate of the Caribbean Community met to deliberate on this vital subject and agreed on an instrument entitled "The Consensus of Chaguaramas ", which is based on a reinforcement of the perspective of Forward Together. It is increasingly to the commitments therein that our future cooperation must seek to direct its support. Some of it, like the Single Market and Economy - the flagship of the Community - is already on our Agenda.

Critical to that Consensus of Chaguaramas is the enhanced role which regional Institutions, including the Secretariat, are expected to play. This would obviously have implications for the framework and mechanisms for our future cooperation.

Co-Chairs, distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, as we look to the future therefore, and to its many challenges, CARICOM's relations with Japan take on considerable importance. I urge you therefore to pursue these Consultations to embark on a process, both of consolidation of the relationship and of exploration of new and vibrant areas of enhanced cooperation.

In removing the few stumbling blocks which stand in the way of achieving this goal as the Vision for the Caribbean Community in the 21^st century, we must ensure a mutually beneficial strengthened CARICOM/Japan partnership in all its possible dimensions.

On behalf of the Community I take this opportunity to wish you all a productive and fruitful consultation. Let the light of Diwali lead you to conclusions of wisdom.