Santo Domingo is hosting the 20th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Caribbean Forum (Cariforum) next week. Ministers from Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago will be attending. Minister of Foreign Relations Carlos Morales Troncoso, who announced the event, said that political, economic and cooperation issues would be discussed at the meeting that will take place at the Ministry of Foreign Relations from 29-30 November. He said the intention is to affirm the foundations for better integration within the region and with the European Union, which is key for Caribbean countries achieving greater economic growth and insertion into international markets.
Morales said that the event would focus on the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the support of the European Development Fund (EDF) and obstacles affecting Caribbean rum exports to the United States. The agenda for discussion also includes reform of the Cariforum governance structure and regional participation in different cooperation schemes, especially with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Morales Troncoso said that in the past five years the Dominican Republic has received around RD$1 billion from the European Union that has been invested in education, health, infrastructure and institutional strengthening.
He said that President Danilo Medina would be present at the opening sessions of the meeting. The secretary general of Cariforum Irwin LaRocque and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Christian Leffler will be coming for the meeting. Ministers of Industry and Commerce Jose del Castillo and Economy Temistocles Montas will also be representing the Dominican government.