Ladies and Gentlemen, I am indeed honoured to have the privilege to address my Fellow Heads in the idyllic isle of Canouan, a special part of St Vincent and the Grenadians.
It has become a ritual for new Heads of Government in their maiden presentation at CARICOM Summits to chastise the sitting heads for converting our meetings into a "talk shop". However, they themselves are accused later of joining the "club".
Thank you Dr Carrington, our Secretary General of CARICOM
Your Excellency the Deputy Governor General of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Mr. Denniston Bobb and Mrs. Bobb
Colleague Heads of State and Government
Distinguished Ministers of the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines
Other CARICOM Ministers
Leader of the Opposition, Hon Dr Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines and other distinguished Members of Parliament
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Members of the Judiciary and the Clergy
The Deputy Governor- General of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, His Excellency Mr. Denniston Bobb and Mrs. Bobb
The Rt. Hon. Sir James Mitchell, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Chairman of the Caribbean Community
Their Excellencies the Presidents of Guyana, Suriname and Haiti
The Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Outgoing Chairman of the Caribbean Community
Other Distinguished Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community
The Government of Montserrat is taking steps to regularise employment opportunities for CARICOM nationals in that country. The following outlines the procedures to be followed by suitably qualified CARICOM nationals seeking employment in Montserrat.
In recent times, nationals of several overseas countries arriving in Montserrat to access employment opportunities, have been refused entry because they do not fulfil entry requirements.