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Australia to open new opportunities for cooperation with Caribbean

Posted by CaribShout on August 30, 2009 at 10:18am
SANTIAGO, Chile -- Strengthening relations and cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean is a priority for Australia, said its Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith during a conference at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile. In his presentation, titled “Australia: Looking Anew at Latin America and the Caribbean”, Smith stated that his country hopes to strengthen cooperation with the region in areas such as innovation, technology, climate change, trade liberalization, disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena welcomed the Foreign Minister on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General Bank Ki-moon. The conference was attended by diplomats and representatives of the Government of Chile and international organizations. Smith highlighted the fact that the first act of his government in 2007 was to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. “Australia is strongly committed to working towards an ambitious post-2012 international climate change outcome that is fair, effective and efficient,” he said. ECLAC has played a valuable role in the fight against poverty, environmental protection and linking the region to the global economy, he added. “The Government of Australia is committed to supporting and engaging with multilateral institutions, particularly with the United Nations,” stated Smith. In this regard, Bárcena noted the coincidences between Australia and the region in terms of goals in multilateral bodies, such as in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. “We are grateful for the Australian government’s commitment to increase its support for development assistance from 0.3% to 0.5% of its gross domestic product to the year 2015,” she said. “Your country and Latin America and the Caribbean have a magnificent opportunity to strengthen ties, and this Economic Commission is available to cooperate in this regard,” she stated. There is enormous space to advance in trade relations and investment, she said. “We count with a set of existing mechanisms to strengthen relations between Australia and Latin America and their respective integration processes with the Asia-Pacific region,” added Bárcena. During his official visit to Chile, Smith met with the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, government ministers and business executives, and signed several cooperation agreements.

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