The House of Representatives has ratified a nearly three-decades-old trade agreement between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Colombia, as the country has begun to diversify its trade relationships outside of traditional markets such as the US and UK.
The Agreement on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation between CARICOM and Colombia, signed at Cartagena on July 24, 1994, aims to deepen commercial and economic relationships between the Caribbean region and Colombia “with a view to achieving greater international competitiveness in the region and to accelerate the process of sub-regional integration”.
The Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Charles ‘Max’ Fernandez, presented the resolution on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs EP Chet Greene, explaining that the agreement comes at a critical time.
“Bearing in mind what we face in terms of tariffs coming from our northern neighbour, which is by far our largest trading partner, it is important that we now seek to strengthen these trade agreements between other markets,” Fernandez stated.
He also highlighted that beyond trade, the government is exploring how to expand tourism to include visitors from Central and Latin American countries.
Fernandez assured Parliament that security concerns have been addressed through the implementation of paperless border entry forms, with input from the Attorney General’s Office, Police, Immigration, Customs and Tourism officials.
He also emphasized government’s commitment to “ensure that we have the strongest border protection into Antigua and Barbuda”.
However, Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who supported the resolution, questioned the delay in ratification.
“I realize that this agreement was signed 24 July 1994. That’s 30 plus years ago, and I’m wondering why we were so hesitant to ratify this agreement. When these opportunities are afforded us, I think we should try and exploit these opportunities in a more timely basis,” Browne said.
The PM stressed the importance of “cooperating more with our region to include Central and South America”, noting Colombia’s assistance in providing cancer treatments for Antiguans and Barbudans.
