Trinidad and Tobago’s recently appointed ambassador to CARICOM, Ralph Maraj, says regional unity is at risk, and steps need to be taken to ensure CARICOM’s survival.
Speaking to TV6 News, Maraj says he believes this will be a main area of discussion at the 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, scheduled to take place in Jamaica from July 6th.
Our reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh met with Mr Maraj at his San Fernando home today and tells us more.
00:00The future of CARICOM should be a key topic discussed at the upcoming heads of government CARICOM meeting in July, says T&T's ambassador to CARICOM, Ralph Mirage.
00:11Speaking to TV6 News, he says he senses a certain fragility in the movement, a lack of cohesion and lack of unity that needs to be addressed.
00:20You see the organization of Eastern Caribbean states signaling that they don't mind going out on their own.
00:31And if that happens, what happens to CARICOM?
00:34How does CARICOM survive without the OECS's country, as small as they are?
00:43The point is the voice of the region will be weakened.
00:48The strength of the region will be weakened.
00:50Mirage says a deeper conversation must take place into the establishment of the single market and economy vision of CARICOM.
00:59Additionally, he says, with the level of turbulence in the world currently, togetherness as a region is essential if we are to have a voice internationally.
01:08You see tension servicing in CARICOM, you see fissures emerging, you see differences of opinion as to how to deal with other nations in the CARICOM, in the region, whose name I will not mention at this time.
01:26We are small countries.
01:28We need each other.
01:30Without each other, singly, we are more vulnerable.
01:34We are insignificant.
01:37Citing the ongoing wars in the Middle East, Mirage says an escalation of events there can impact on this region.
01:45And calling for peace may also be on the agenda for CARICOM in July.
01:49If the world becomes more turbulent than it is now, it will affect the flow of trade.
01:54If the Straits of Hormuz have been closed, the price of oil would go up.
01:58I see that there is peace, a fragile peace.
02:03We can all, we must all call for peace.
02:06And I expect that this heads of government conference coming up in a couple of days' time would call for peace, a cessation of hostilities, both in the Gaza and between Iran and Israel.
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