(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the European Union (EU) have bolstered longstanding relations with the accreditation of a new Ambassador of the EU to CARICOM, His Excellency Luca Pierantoni.
CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr Carla Barnett, accredited Ambassador Pierantoni on Thursday 19 November, during a ceremony at the CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana.
She expressed appreciation for the support the Community has received from the EU over the years and emphasised the need for continued collaboration, particularly in addressing climate change. She referenced her visit on Monday 17 November to Jamaica alongside CARICOM Heads of Government to show the Community’s solidarity following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
“It is a terrible situation. There is need for support for clean-up, humanitarian relief and reconstruction because the job confronting Jamaica is unimaginable. They are still counting the losses. There was infrastructure that was newly built, roads that have been washed away, houses are gone,” Dr Barnett said, explaining the scale of the destruction.
She also highlighted the challenge of restoring livelihoods in western Jamaica, where the agricultural sector suffered severe damage for a second consecutive year.
Turning attention to Haiti, the Secretary-General thanked the EU for its support as an organisation and from EU member states which assist Haiti directly. She stressed the need for international financing to sustain security efforts on the ground, particularly in the transition from the Multinational Security Support Mission to the Gang Suppression Force.
“There is a lot for us to work on together,” Dr. Barnett told Ambassador Pierantoni, reaffirming the Secretariat’s readiness to support efforts to strengthen the CARICOM-EU partnership.
Ambassador Pierantoni, who served in Guyana from 2014 to 2015 as Head of Regional EU-Caribbean Cooperation, expressed his commitment to deepening CARICOM-EU relations, highlighting the shared values on regional integration, multilateral cooperation, human rights, international law, and democracy.
“These are difficult times, the world is changing rapidly, and it is very important that we remain credible partners with a firm belief in multilateralism,” Ambassador Pierantoni stated.
He recalled the participation of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Barbados earlier this year. This he said, reaffirmed the EU’s high regard for its relationship with CARICOM. Ambassador Pierantoni also reiterated EU solidarity and willingness to continue supporting Member States affected by Hurricane Melissa.
