CARICOM foreign ministers meet ahead of Heads of Government meeting in Barbados

In a significant development ahead of the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, the foreign ministers of the regional bloc met. 

The special meeting (22nd) of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) is a key one since the external affairs ministers of the region’s countries give important advice to their respective governments on foreign policy matters. 

COFCOR is an organ of CARICOM which looks after foreign policy coordination and promotes development of cooperation among the member-states and with extra-regional partners. It strengthens CARICOM’s bilateral relations with major nations in the world, addresses global issues and evaluates the region’s hemispheric ties and identifies ways to make them robust. 

Since 2024, Dominica has held the chairmanship of COFCOR. 

Jamaican foreign minister chairs meeting

The meeting of the foreign ministers was chaired by Kamina Johnson-Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, the former chair of the council. “Our geo-political circumstances and hemispheric realities, how we deal with them strategically and how we secure the prosperity of our member states,” she said while outlining the key topics of the meeting.

Thanking the government and people of Barbados, which hosted the heads of government’s meeting, for a warm hospitality, the Jamaican senator said they facilitated the discussions that took place in the previous special meeting in 2024 which dealt with geopolitical issues, trade environment and (western) hemispheric arrangements. 

Albert Ramdin’s candidature for OAS secretary-general

She also said the issue of the Surinamese Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin running for the position of the secretary-general of the Organisation of American States (OAS) for the 2025-30 term was a significant one taken up during the meeting. 

“It is an important issue for us because if he (Ramdin) is successful, he will be the first Caribbean secretary-general of the OAS. His campaign is going very well,” Johnson-Smith said. The elections are set to take place in March.

The Jamaican diplomat added that the COFCOR meeting was particularly significant as it prepared the discussions for further engagement during the heads of government’s meetings, which follow immediately after the foreign ministers’ talks.

Deeper talks on CSME, food security, maritime and air transportation

Johnson-Smith also said the focus of the meeting was also about deeper discussions on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), food security, maritime and air transport issues.

“All of those have already been discussed and are already on the Heads’ agenda,” she added.

The foreign ministers’ meeting was also attended by CARICOM Secretary-General Carla Barnett; Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign and Community Relations, Elizabeth Solomon; and Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Amery Browne, among others.

On Thursday, February 20, the Jamaican minister was joined by the country’s prime minister, Andrew Holness, to participate in key discussions on matters of trade, security and regional cooperation.

The CARICOM Heads of Government meeting concludes on Friday, February 21. The theme of this year’s event is “Strength in Unity: Forging Caribbean Resilience, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development”.