ISTANBUL, August 24, 2008: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was part of the CARICOM delegation attending the three-day Turkey-CARICOM Summit in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Summit represented Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' second official visit to Turkey in less than a year, after the historic meeting between Prime Ministers Ralph Gonsalves and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in March 2008. Ambassador Camillo Gonsalves attended both Turkey meetings.

In an effort to strengthen ties between Turkey and the CARICOM region, Ambassador Gonsalves was joined by collegues from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago as well as the CARICOM Secretariat. A number of issues were discussed, including trade, political cooperation, cultural exchanges, scholarships, and development assistance.

Ambassador Gonsalves also met bilaterally with H.E. Ali Babacan, Foreign Minister of Turkey. The Ambassador and Foreign Minister followed-up on agreements and commitments made by their respective Prime Ministers in March. Among the items discussed were the finalisation of arrangements for a visit to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines by a delegation from the Turkish airport construction company TAV Airports Holding.

Turkey and the CARICOM adoped a final Communique, which outlined the areas of agreement and cooperation.

[To view/download the final Communique in Adobe .pdf format, click HERE]

Ambassador Gonsalves poses with two Turkish musicians in traditional costumes.