- Push for integration of greater Caribbean
TORTOLA, BVI – The British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Dominican Republic (DR) are set to sign a bilateral agreement in June to strengthen their cooperation on trade, regional transportation, health and culture, among other things.
The readiness of both sides was confirmed during a bilateral meeting in Santiago, Chile between BVI Special Envoy Benito Wheatley and Hugo Rivera, Dominican Republic Vice Minister for Economic Affairs and International Cooperation.
According to Wheatley, “We are in the final stages of planning for the signing of the bilateral agreement in June by our political leaders that will boost our trade and deepen our cooperation in other critical sectors. I was very pleased to once again meet Honourable Rivera with whom I remain closely engaged in advancing bilateral relations between the BVI and Dominican Republic.”
The special envoy and vice minister also discussed a Dominican Republic initiative for the economic integration of the Greater Caribbean and highlighted the need to accelerate regional integration between Latin America and the Caribbean to drive higher trade flows and strengthen the region’s economic resilience to external shocks.
Wheatley affirmed the BVI’s support for the initiative and pledged to work in partnership with the Dominican Republic through the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and Association of Caribbean States (ACS) to encourage deeper regional integration between Latin America and the Caribbean.
While in Chile, the special envoy also joined CARICOM secretary-general H.E. Dr Carla Barnett and UN ECLAC executive secretary H.E. Jose Manuel-Salazaar as a panellist – titled “Advancing Regional Integration in a Fragmented Global Economy: From Commitments to Implementation”, which was held at ECLAC Headquarters during the 9th meeting of the forum of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development.
Wheatley stated: “Regional integration has the ability to help unleash the immense potential of Latin America and the Caribbean and to make our region more resilient in the face of global instability, economic uncertainty and climate insecurity.”