Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoonjoo held a joint meeting on November 18 with ministerial- and vice ministerial-level representatives from five Caribbean countries—Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, and Grenada—who were visiting Korea to attend the 15th High-Level Forum on the Korea–Caribbean Partnership.

Participants from the Caribbean side included the following:  Sean Sobers, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy and Marine Conservation of Belize, Jose Reyes, Vice Minister of Coastal and Marine Resources of the Dominican Republic, Jerusa Ali, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas, Jerry Enoe, Special Envoy for Oceans of Grenada.

Vice Minister Park noted that Korea and the Caribbean countries, as partners sharing universal values such as democracy and peace, have been working closely together to address common challenges including maritime cooperation, climate change, and sustainable growth. He emphasized that the government of the Republic of Korea will continue to strengthen practical cooperation with the Caribbean region for sustainable growth by utilizing the Korea–CARICOM Cooperation Fund and further expanding bilateral and multilateral development cooperation.

The high-level representatives of the five Caribbean countries expressed their deep appreciation for the cooperation and support provided by the government of the Republic of Korea for the sustainable development of the Caribbean region, and conveyed their hope that cooperation with Korea would be further strengthened in political, economic, and social fields.

Since 2011, the High-Level Forum on the Korea–Caribbean Partnership has been held annually as a regular high-level consultation platform between Korea and the Caribbean region. This year’s Forum was held under the theme of “Korea–Caribbean Cooperation for a Resilient and Sustainable Ocean.”