Singapore’s Ambassador to CARICOM, holds bilateral meeting with Tourism Minister

On the fringes of the UN’s SIDS4 Conference, countries have seized the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with member states, seeking ways to further collaborate and renew diplomatic ties.

One such meeting was held with Ms. Karen Tan, Ambassador and Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Singapore to CARICOM, who has engaged with various dignitaries on the island, including The Hon. H. Charles Fernandez, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation, and Investment for Antigua and Barbuda.

The Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister exchanged pleasantries with the non-resident Ambassador Karen Tan as she commended the reception and proceedings of SIDS4 on the island.

Ambassador Tan explained that she has met with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on the fringes of the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting and seeks to continue strengthening the strong linkages with the country while also exploring ways to expand the scope of their collaboration.

The Ambassador inquired about the status of LIAT, reminiscing on how convenient it was to travel throughout the region when the airline was operational.

Minister Fernandez, with responsibility for aviation, spoke about the efforts to save the airline and the ongoing work to get LIAT 2020 operational again.

He explained that from a tourism perspective, having LIAT operational is vitally important as the Caribbean ranks among the top three source markets for the island destination.

Both dignitaries discussed at length the importance of sustainable tourism and the necessity of sustainably managing the marine environment in this regard.

Ambassador Tan also informed the Minister about the initiative ‘SIDS of Change’, which prioritizes capacity building through training and development from Singapore for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The dignitaries renewed their commitment to continued collaboration in the best interests of both countries, recognizing that both Small States and SIDS share similar constraints and ambitions.