Your Excellency Subit Kumar Mandal, Plenipotentiary Representative of India to the Caribbean Community;
Deputy Secretary-General and other Members of Staff of the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community
Representatives of the Media

Good day to you all!

And a good day it is indeed, as it is one which gives me great pleasure as Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), to welcome you to this accreditation ceremony of His Excellency Subit Kumar Mandal, Plenipotentiary Representative of India to the Caribbean Community.

A very special welcome is extended to you, Excellency, to the home of the CARICOM Secretariat. It is not only an occasion of great pleasure for me, it is also a remarkable one as it is the sixth time on which I will have the honour on behalf of the Caribbean Community to receive Letters of Accreditation from a Plenipotentiary Representative of the Government of India. This speaks to the long-standing, well-established, diplomatic relations between India and the Caribbean Community.

That having been said, Excellency, I must with great regret begin today’s ceremony on a sombre note by conveying the Community’s profound sympathy to the Government and people of India following the terrorist attacks of 26 November 2008 in Mumbai, resulting in over 180 deaths and some 200 wounded.

I wish to cite a Condolence Message which I sent last week to the Government of India on behalf of the Caribbean Community, which states:

I take this opportunity today to reiterate that message and to reaffirm CARICOM’s staunch rejection of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Excellency, the Caribbean Community extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of those attacks and to the Government and People of India.

The Caribbean Community is also saddened at the passing of Former Prime Minister V.P. Singh at the end of November and takes this opportunity to extend its condolences to the bereaved family and to the Government and people of India.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the countries comprising the Caribbean Community have historical ties with India spanning more than one hundred and fifty years, with the arrival in the Caribbean, of indentured labourers from India in 1838. These individuals whose descendants over the years have risen to the highest levels in all spheres of national life in our countries, brought with them a rich and varied culture, which while retaining its distinctive character, has become an integral part of the cultural mosaic of our Community, contributing in virtually all spheres - from religion to food, to clothes to music and to sport.

With regard to sport, I extend warm congratulations to you on the treatment your Cricket Team meted out to the Australians on their recent tour to India. You can even do the same to the current English Team if you feel like it. I appeal to you however, in the spirit of our friendly relations, not to extend same to the West Indies Team when next we meet!

Excellency, India is a developing country but it is increasingly becoming a major player globally. The recent G20 Summit on the crises facing Financial Markets and the World Economy in which India participated is an illustration of the increasing influence of that country on the global economic, financial and political stage.

In that context, one recalls the spirit of the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda, of the need for a voice for all countries, large or small, in tackling global problems. Since then the global economic situation has worsened. For us in the Caribbean, apart from the general global economic downturn, we face the peculiar issue of the so-called graduation of our small highly indebted middle income countries. This so-called graduation is really a demotion from access to badly needed international development assistance. We are confident that India’s support in the international arena in dealing with this matter would not be lacking.

At the level of the Commonwealth, an Indian national, His Excellency Kamalesh Sharma, now heads this 53-member Association of sovereign Nations. CARICOM was pleased to endorse his candidature.

Excellency, as we in the Caribbean Community continue to pursue the creation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and to engage in the struggle against climate change, we acknowledge with appreciation the technical support which your country has been providing to the Community. A manifestation of this support is right here at the Headquarters of the Community where, through the generosity of the Government of India, the Secretariat has been provided with a significant part of its IT Infrastructure. The Secretariat itself has been privileged to receive IT training for several members of staff over the past three years. This has helped to equip the staff of the CARICOM Secretariat to better serve the Community and to interact more efficiently with our international partners.

Additionally, India continues to provide scholarships at the bilateral level, to citizens from our Region in various areas including Information Technology, Environmental Studies and Diplomacy. These scholarships have been well received and have been of tremendous benefit to the Region as indeed to the Secretariat itself, in building its capacity in these areas.

The signing, in November 2003, of the Agreement between CARICOM and the Government of India to establish a Standing Joint Commission on Consultation, Cooperation, and Coordination provides a valuable mechanism for enhancing CARICOM-India technical cooperation to our mutual benefit.

The signature of that Agreement was an important part of a CARICOM Mission to India led by the Honourable K.D. Knight, then Foreign Minister of Jamaica. As Secretary-General, I was fortunate to be a member of that delegation along with a Staff Member of my Office. The experience gained from our visits to Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderbad, and the spirit of the discussions with the then Government served to strengthen the already close relations between the Caribbean Community and your country, not only in our bilateral arrangements but in the international fora as well.

Excellency, I note that you have served within your country’s foreign service for approximately thirty years, in various regions and several countries around the world, including Indonesia, Thailand, Afghanistan, Angola, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Japan. Indeed, your distinguished diplomatic career has afforded you a wide and global perspective of international affairs and we welcome the expertise and experience that you bring to our Region. We are confident that your vast and varied experience will assist in your understanding of the unique and specific needs of the CARICOM Region and will result in the further enhancement of relations between India and the Caribbean Community.

Excellency, I wish you every success during your new appointment as India’s Plenipotentiary Representative to the Caribbean Community and I look forward to working with you, as we collaborate to further strengthen this important and historic relationship.

THANK YOU!

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org