The Hon. Alva Romanus Baptiste, Minister for External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation, and Diaspora Affairs of Saint Lucia, who is traveling to Japan to attend the Eighth Japan-CARICOM Ministerial-Level Conference, met with Mr. IWAYA Takeshi, Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, on December 14 for about 20 minutes starting at 6:10 p.m.
Minister Iwaya began by welcoming Minister Baptiste’s travel to Japan, which coincided with the Eighth Japan-CARICOM Ministerial-Level Conference.
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Following the three pillars of Japan’s CARICOM policy, Minister Iwaya remarked on Japan’s ten-year assistance for sustainable development and addressing the vulnerabilities unique to small island governments. He said that Japan has chosen to send fresh Japanese specialists in effective water resource management to Saint Lucia to deal with the country’s non-revenue water problem.
To enhance the nation’s water supply and purification technology, Minister Iwaya also said that Japan intends to bring Saint Lucian trainees to Japan for training. Minister Baptiste responded by expressing gratitude for Japan’s help and his hope for more collaboration.
The two ministers reaffirmed the bilateral ties between Japan and Saint Lucia as well as between Japan and CARICOM. The two ministers also agreed that to guide the globe concerned about fragmentation toward collaboration, it is crucial to take into account values and principles like freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, as well as to establish numerous discussions and strengthen relationships.
Around 180,000 people live in Saint Lucia, which has a gross national income (GNI) per capita of around 11,000 US dollars and an area of about 620 square kilometers, which is comparable to the size of Awaji Island (World Bank, 2022).
