Dominica: PM Skerrit co-chairs first Saudi Arabia-CARICOM Summit

Roosevelt Skerrit, the Prime Minister of Dominica, co-chaired the first CARICOM- Saudi Arabia Summit held in Riyadh on November 16, 2023.

The summit was chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

HRH Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Riyadh Region, welcomed the Prime Minister on Thursday morning.

The CARICOM-Saudi Arabia Summit was a historic event that brought together 14 heads of government from the Caribbean Community, the Saudi Crown Prince and his cabinet ministers and leading private sector leaders.

The summit aimed to strengthen ties, promote trade and investment relations, and expand cooperation in various fields, such as infrastructure, hospitality, energy, climate change, and environmental sustainability. 

The summit also highlighted joint efforts to promote peace, stability, security, and prosperity among nations. The meeting was held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

This event marks their expansion as a country and a region in forging relationships that foster cooperation in technology, climate resilience, tourism and infrastructure.

The summit commenced with a commemorative group photo featuring the Crown Prince alongside heads of state and leaders from CARICOM nations.

Some of the outcomes from this summit are as follows:

• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation between CARICOM and the Saudi Ministry of Energy in renewable energy.
• A Joint Declaration on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, culture, and other areas of mutual interest.
• A pledge of $100 million from Saudi Arabia to support the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in its efforts to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters and climate change.
• A commitment to establish a CARICOM-Saudi Arabia Business Council to facilitate private sector engagement and partnership.
• A proposal to launch a direct flight service between Riyadh and Bridgetown, Barbados, to boost tourism and connectivity.