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Secretary General of the ACS, Dr, Rubén Silié, spoke confidently of the benefits of participation in the Business Forum, but also touched on the obstacles posed by regional transport, some of which the Association hoped to alleviate through the implementation of a chart of Caribbean Sea routes and with the help of the Internet and the ACS’ Integrated Information System of the Greater Caribbean. Nevertheless, Silié affirmed that the Business Forum of the Greater Caribbean was “the main regional instrument for helping to bridge this gap” and lauded it for being “the only event that involves the entire ACS membership”, thereby facilitating greater mutual awareness among regional entrepreneurs. Mr. Elmert Miranda, representing the Government of Panama, the current Chairman of the Special Committee on Trade Development and External Economic Relations, also addressed the meeting, before ceding the floor to the Minister of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable Kenneth Valley. Minister Valley expressed his Government’s satisfaction in co-hosting this event, particularly as it is a means of fostering economic integration in the Greater Caribbean. Underscoring the importance of air connectivity to countries within the region, Minister Valley announced the imminent arrival of the Panamanian airline, COPA Airlines to Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the possibility of Delta and Mexicana touching down on local soil in the near future, thereby providing an efficient transportation system throughout the region. Day 1 of the Business Forum was dedicated to providing businessmen with important knowledge on issues such as the importance of encouraging private-public sector partnerships in countries in the region; the Panama Canal Expansion Project and its impact on regional trade; and facilitating market access for developing countries to the European Union, among others. Days 2, 3 and 4 will focus on matchmaking between the registered participants, and it is expected that over five hundred business meetings will take place over the remaining 3 days of the Business Forum. About the ACS The Association of Caribbean States is the organization for consultation, cooperation and concerted action in trade, transport, sustainable tourism and natural disasters in the Greater Caribbean. Its Member States are Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. Its Associate Members are Aruba , France on behalf of French Guiana , Guadeloupe , and Martinique , and the Netherlands Antilles . For further information, please contact: Denise Lewis Martínez |
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Association of Caribbean States ©
2007 |