The Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe, which is an Overseas Department of France, is now officially an Associate Member of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), which is a Regional Grouping made up of independent and non-independent countries such as Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent & The Grenadines, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and Martinique.
The official ceremony confirming Guadeloupe as an Associate Member took place in Basse Terre, Guadeloupe on Thursday March 14, at 5 pm, at the University des Antilles, in Basse-Terre. OECS Chairman, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, said the accession of the French Territory was a momentous occasion in the life of the OECS, in furtherance of deeper & broader regional integration of Small Eastern Caribbean islands”. Prime Minister Ralph Gonzalves added, “Our geographical propinquity, shared history of European colonialism, and the reality of our Caribbean-ness — the essence of our Caribbean civilization — all pre-dispose us to a closer union in the interest of our people’s humanization”. The accession agreement on Thursday comes about two years after a report commissioned by the government of Saint Lucia urging OECS integration for both Guadeloupe and Martinique. This move will foster better cooperation between Guadeloupe and other OECS members while promoting unity and solidarity among members of the Regional grouping. Shortly before the signing, Ary Chalus, president of ‘Region Guadeloupe’ said, “The insertion of our archipelago in our regional area is obvious: it is undoubtedly one of our assets, an asset on which we must build our place in the world. Guadeloupe, located in the middle of the island arch of the Lesser Antilles, shares a strong community of interest with the CARICOM member states and more particularly with the member states or OECS partners”.
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