Your Excellency Marianne Da Costa, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Austria to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM);
Deputy Secretary General;
Assistant Secretaries-General and other Members of Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat;
Other Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;
Representatives of the Media.

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you, Excellency, as the Representative of the Republic of Austria to the Caribbean Community and to its headquarters at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown. Today, Austria joins France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom as member countries of the European Union (EU) with diplomatic ties to the Caribbean Community. This latest welcome addition comes in the wake of last year’s Summit of the Heads of State and of Government of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean, held under the distinguished chairmanship of your Chancellor in your country’s capital, the beautiful city of Vienna. I attended that Meeting and what a wonderful experience it was. I certainly enjoyed the hospitality of the Government and people of Austria.

The Declaration issued at the end of the Summit sought to address issues that need to be confronted by joint action; issues such as social cohesion, security, the environment and investment, all issues of vital importance to the Caribbean Community. Critically, in the field of environment, the Republic of Austria and the Community share a common position on the key issue of climate change, which is an obvious challenge that must be addressed through joint action on a global scale.

This is why, as Delegates from all over the world gather this week in Bali, Indonesia for the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2007, our countries have pledged to take an active part in the efforts to develop a roadmap for a future international agreement on enhanced global action to deal with climate change in the period after 2012 - the year when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires.

For Small Island and Low-Lying Developing States such as those in CARICOM, the Bali Conference is of critical importance. CARICOM Member States although contributing the least to climate change are among the most affected by it. We are indeed grateful for the steadfast support of countries like Austria, as we seek to combat this phenomenon and its intensification of natural disasters.

In this regard, Austria’s Development Aid Agency’s financial support for an Earthquake Readiness Programme for the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) is most welcome. This financial contribution will assist in putting in place measures that will prepare adequately the countries of the Community, in the event of such disasters. Indeed, the uncanny timeliness of this assistance cannot be overemphasized, as just this last week the entire Region felt the tremors of the second most powerful earthquake to be experienced in its history. Uncharacteristically, the tremors were felt even in Guyana.

Excellency, as a country which has made great strides after World War II to become one of the most advanced and economically stable countries, Austria is well aware that such progress could not have been made on its own.

Having become a member of the United Nations in 1955 and having declared that it was permanently neutral, your country is a symbol of the true benefits of multilateralism. We, too, in the Caribbean Community, value multilateralism as vital to our development and as the best approach to reaching long-term solutions to global problems.

Among the many issues that the global community of the United Nations is working together to achieve, is the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) aimed at combating, among other things, poverty and inequity. The Austrian Government has demonstrated its commitment to the achievement of the MDGs through various cooperation initiatives that it has pursued and developed with the Community.

In 2007, the Austrian Government offered ten scholarships at the renowned Klessheim School of Tourism and Hotel management in Salzburg. The tourism industry is the largest industry in our Community and remains an appropriate area in which to build capacity for further growth and development.

These (the scholarships and assistance given for disaster mitigation) are but two elements of the enhanced cooperation relationship between your Government and the Caribbean Community which have already come to fruition. Others are under consideration.

Excellency, the many steps that your Government has taken to contribute to the development of the Community speak to Austria’s commitment to maintain robust relations with CARICOM. Indeed, the reported willingness of your Government to facilitate a CARICOM presence in Vienna is further evidence of this fact. The issue of joint representation by our Community is an important one for its small countries as we consider ways in which to coordinate our foreign policies - a requirement of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Vienna, we know, is an attractive location for any diplomatic mission as a geographic political and indeed cultural hub.

Excellency, it is quite evident that the geo-political influence of Austria has grown within the European Union (EU). A strategic alliance between your country and our Region will be undoubtedly beneficial to both parties, especially in the context of the ongoing negotiations with the EU for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and for the broadening of relations between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Let me therefore assure you, Excellency, that every effort will be taken in order to continue the strengthening of these relations. In this regard, I wish to re-affirm my personal commitment to respond positively to the gracious invitation of your government to pay an official visit to Austria at a mutually convenient time in 2008.

In conclusion, Excellency, I extend through you my best wishes to the Government and People of Austria and look forward to Austria’s continued support to the work of our Community.

Against this background therefore, it is with sincere pleasure Ambassador Marianne DaCosta, that I have the honour to accept your credentials as the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Austria to the Caribbean Community.

I bid you a warm Caribbean welcome.