Agreement reached

THE Caribbean Community countries have reiterated the conclusion of an agreement with Canada that has development as one of its core.

This is one of the points the leaders agreed on at their recent Inter-sessional meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

CARICOM and Canada have been negotiating a Trade and Economic Development Agreement for more than three years.

“Heads of Government reiterated the Region’s objective of negotiating a pro-development agreement, which takes account of the differences in the levels of development between CARICOM and Canada and which would support sustainable economic and social development of the peoples of the Region,” the leaders said in the communique issued following the meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

It said that the Heads of Government received a report on the status of negotiations for a CARICOM-Canada Trade and Development Agreement.

The agreement is expected to conclude no later than June 2014. They noted the state of play of negotiations arising from the fifth and sixth round of negotiations, and expressed expectations of further progress being achieved in the continuation of the Sixth Round at the end of March.