KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica has paid tribute to 12 countries with which the nation celebrates 60 years of diplomatic relations since 1962.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith (right); Clerk to the Houses of Parliament, Valrie Curtis (second right) and President of the Senate, Hon. Tom Tavares-Finson (left), share a photo opportunity with several Heads of Missions during a recent sitting of the Senate, where Minister Johnson Smith recognized the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations with 12 bilateral partners. (Photo by Adrian Walker via JIS)They are the Kingdom of Belgium, the Federative Republic of Brazil, Canada, the French Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of India, the State of Israel, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, the Swiss Confederation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States .
“We pay tribute to these countries which have been with us from the very beginning. Their faith in our ability to chart our own destiny and their commitment to lending support in this regard have not gone unnoticed,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith, said during a recent sitting of the Senate.
“We salute their resolve to be a part of our journey when we were keen to assert our newfound freedom and independence, and they shared our vision and determination to do so.”
According to Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s engagement with the countries recognized, is aligned with the Government’s drive to foster economic growth and prosperity.
“To this end, we have welcomed investments in areas such as infrastructural development, energy, transport, security, justice reform, agriculture, as well as land management and administration.
Other critical sectors from which we have benefited include information and communications technology, including cybersecurity,” she noted.
“Our ongoing challenges as a country is reason enough for us to continue to work with partner countries to strengthen our justice systems, identify sustained solutions to our security problems and find viable options to empower our young people and youth.”
Johnson Smith pointed out that Jamaica’s relations with the countries are strong not only at the bilateral level, but the regional and multilateral levels, “where we pursue issues of common interest and concern”.
“Over the years, we have been able to collaborate closely through membership of organizations such as the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS), where all 12 countries are either members or have permanent observer status, or the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), where several collaborate on the margins as observer states. The Caribbean has also been able to engage with some of the countries through third-party arrangements, thereby providing an additional layer and opportunity for dialogue,” she said.
“We have been able to coalesce around central principles, including the promotion and protection of human rights, respect for the rule of law, as well as the sovereign equality of states, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs and the peaceful settlement of disputes,” the Minister added.
She said Jamaica stands by its commitment to these principles and looks forward to continued engagement to ensure adherence to them.
“As we acknowledge the strategic partnerships in which we have engaged over the years, I would like to recall that beyond these countries with which we established diplomatic relations in 1962, Kingston is home to 26 bilateral diplomatic missions. Together, we have worked to solidify traditional relations and some of more recent vintage, all to mutual benefit of our respective countries,” the Minister noted.
She also used the opportunity to pay tribute to all the countries with which Jamaica has nurtured respectful and friendly relations over the years.
Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, Peter Bunting, joined the Government and also publicly acknowledged the countries, adding that there has been close cooperation in several areas.
