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THE first plenipotentiary representative of Slovenia to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) His Excellency Rohan Kirn, on Tuesday presented his Letters of Credence to Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque. The accreditation, Ambassador LaRocque said, was an important symbolic gesture and a confirmation of Slovenia’s decision to embark on a new relationship with CARICOM.
The Slovenia-CARICOM relationship, the Secretary-General pointed out, was inscribed in a larger, historical one between the European Union (EU) and the Caribbean. At the core of that relationship was a partnership for development in which each individual EU member state, including Slovenia, and each individual member state of CARICOM,had invested, he added.
“Today, we deepen that investment. We look forward to Slovenia’s heightened sensitivity, as a relatively small state itself, to the realities of the small and vulnerable states of CARICOM, many of them being highly indebted and deemed to be middle-income countries and to your championship of our interests, not only within the context of the EU, but also other important multilateral fora,” Ambassador LaRocque said.
The CARICOM Secretary-General identified the threats of weapons and disease as priority areas that could be tackled through a CARICOM-Slovenia partnership within the global arena, and, in this regard, highlighted the signature, ratification and implementation of the recently concluded Arms Trade Treaty and the implementation of the Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
“The proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) constitutes a major socio-economic threat to the small societies of the Caribbean. So too, do NCDs. These two threats – weapons and disease – manifest their harm in different ways, but their end results are the same – lives are fundamentally and negatively altered, families are compromised, societies are weakened, and nations are enfeebled as their most critical asset, their people, fall prey.
Small arms and NCDs constitute for CARICOM citizens, families, and societies a clear and present danger,” the Secretary-General said.
According to a statement from the CARICOM Secretariat, he also referred to education and training, people-to-people contact and cultural exchange, tourism and trade, as other areas for cooperation.
“It is our joint responsibility to ensure that the cooperation initiatives provide tangible benefits for our people and I would propose to you that we advance discussions to the stage of action, as soon as possible,” the Secretary-General said.
For his part, Ambassador Kirn said that his accreditation demonstrated Slovenia’s interest to work hand in hand with the Caribbean Community. He acknowledged that small states such as his and those in the Community, needed to compare notes and design strategies for cooperation and growth. He saw avenues for cooperation at the bilateral level; within the framework of the EU; and in the multilateral arena.
The Slovenia-CARICOM relationship, the Secretary-General pointed out, was inscribed in a larger, historical one between the European Union (EU) and the Caribbean. At the core of that relationship was a partnership for development in which each individual EU member state, including Slovenia, and each individual member state of CARICOM,had invested, he added.
“Today, we deepen that investment. We look forward to Slovenia’s heightened sensitivity, as a relatively small state itself, to the realities of the small and vulnerable states of CARICOM, many of them being highly indebted and deemed to be middle-income countries and to your championship of our interests, not only within the context of the EU, but also other important multilateral fora,” Ambassador LaRocque said.
The CARICOM Secretary-General identified the threats of weapons and disease as priority areas that could be tackled through a CARICOM-Slovenia partnership within the global arena, and, in this regard, highlighted the signature, ratification and implementation of the recently concluded Arms Trade Treaty and the implementation of the Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
“The proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) constitutes a major socio-economic threat to the small societies of the Caribbean. So too, do NCDs. These two threats – weapons and disease – manifest their harm in different ways, but their end results are the same – lives are fundamentally and negatively altered, families are compromised, societies are weakened, and nations are enfeebled as their most critical asset, their people, fall prey.
Small arms and NCDs constitute for CARICOM citizens, families, and societies a clear and present danger,” the Secretary-General said.
According to a statement from the CARICOM Secretariat, he also referred to education and training, people-to-people contact and cultural exchange, tourism and trade, as other areas for cooperation.
“It is our joint responsibility to ensure that the cooperation initiatives provide tangible benefits for our people and I would propose to you that we advance discussions to the stage of action, as soon as possible,” the Secretary-General said.
For his part, Ambassador Kirn said that his accreditation demonstrated Slovenia’s interest to work hand in hand with the Caribbean Community. He acknowledged that small states such as his and those in the Community, needed to compare notes and design strategies for cooperation and growth. He saw avenues for cooperation at the bilateral level; within the framework of the EU; and in the multilateral arena.
