Foreign affairs ministry contributing to JAMAICA’S GROWTH AGENDA
IT WAS a busy 10 months for foreign affairs minister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, who visited 13 countries and had close to 200 meetings with heads of government, ministers, ambassadors, high-level officials and heads of international organisations.
In the process, she signed numerous cultural, investment, trade and economic cooperation agreements.
Among the many agreements signed by the minister is a Framework Agreement on Cooperation between Jamaica and Morocco, which will facilitate partnership in education and agriculture, among other areas. Jamaica will also benefit from up to 100 scholarships annually, together with support in agricultural technology.
This was one of the outcomes of a working visit to Marrakech, Morocco, for the 22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Johnson Smith also held discussions with senior officials of the Moroccan government in which both countries expressed a desire to forge closer bilateral ties.
“Our meetings had the positive result of building on the diplomatic relations officially opened between us in 2008. Going forward, we anticipate greater exchanges and cooperation to the mutual benefit of our peoples,” she said.
The Jamaica-Mexico relationship was strengthened at the Mexico-Jamaica BiNational Commission meeting in Mexico City in May. The meeting ended with Jamaica signing off on a new agreement and a Plan of Action for Cooperation in 2017.
Johnson Smith said the agreement will involve training in the preservation of cultural heritage, training of craft vendors to increase their skills and competitiveness, and support on security information systems, among other matters.
According to the minister, Mexico has huge expertise in the area of cultural preservation from which Jamaica can learn.
“They have offered to provide technical assistance in this regard. So, not only restoration but how it is that cultural heritage can be used not only to support your tourism sector but to support your own national pride and sense of self and identity,” she explained.
Relations between Jamaica and Panama have been strengthened with the establishment of a Framework Agreement for the establishment of a Joint Commission, which was signed by the minister in June during her visit to Panama for the opening of the expanded Panama Canal.
Jamaica established a Bi-National Commission with Panama as part of its commitment to deepen relationships with neighbours in the region. This commission covers cooperation in trade, logistics and youth development exchange and will meet for the first time this year.