Members of the Antigua and Barbuda Cabinet have been kept busy this week
attending multiple side meetings daily at this week’s Fourth International
Conference of Small Island Developing States (SIDS4).
One such meeting took place Wednesday between Ms. Karen Tan, Ambassador and
Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Singapore to CARICOM, who
has engaged with various dignitaries on the island, including Minister of Tourism,
Civil Aviation, Transportation, and Investment, Charles Max Fernandez.
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 country’s tourism.
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.
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