Castries, Saint Lucia: Prime Minister Philip J Pierre led the Saint Lucian Delegation at the first-ever Saudi Arabia-CARICOM summit held in Riyadh on November 16, 2023.
He arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and was received by the Deputy Governor of Riyadh Region, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, along with other colleague Heads of Government.
The Summit opened an opportunity for Saint Lucia and CARICOM to advance the avenues with the Arab country in the following areas,
Cooperation on trade and investment
Sustainable development
Climate change
Renewable energy
PM Pierre looks forward to maintaining diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly in the reconstruction of St. Jude Hospital and the George Odlum Stadium for the people of Saint Lucia.
Notably, under the leadership of PM Pierre, the diplomatic relations between Saint Lucia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have improved.
For the development of productive sectors, Saudi Arabia offered substantial financial support for capital projects and technical cooperation.
CARICOM chairman Roosevelt Skerrit, a Prime Minister of Dominica, Crown Prince- Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have co-chaired the Saudi-CARICOM Summit.
The Summit comes after the Joint Action Plan between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and CARICOM for 2023 to 2027 was approved.
It is poised to strengthen the trade and investment flows between the two regions by emphasizing engagement with business leaders and international and regional organizations to meet investment needs and business opportunities through collaboration of regions.
This will include both public and private sectors including logistical services and transportation.
It is to be noted that in the absence of PM Pierre, Shawn Edward- Minister for Education, will act as a Prime Minister of Saint Lucia from November 14-18, 2023.