Above: Port of Spain (Caribbean Journal photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Heads of government from CARICOM will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the first-ever CARICOM-Japan summit in Trinidad next week.

The conference, which will be held on July 28, is the latest in a series of joint summits CARICOM has held with various partners, from the United Kingdom to Chile.

In a statement, CARICOM said the agenda would include “the vulnerabilities of CARICOM and the necessary cooperation for its sustainable growth; strengthening exchanges and the bonds of friendship and deepening cooperation in the international arena.”

CARICOM Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque will be officially open the summit, with speakers to include current CARICOM Chairman and Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Abe.

CARICOM said the summit “provides a timely opportunity to advance CARICOM’s priorities in these areas and for fostering solidarity between CARICOM and Japan.”