Above: Canadian Ambassador Robert Ready and Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell met with new Canadian Ambassador Robert Ready in Nassau Friday to accept the latter’s credentials.

The two sides discussed a pending Bilateral Air Transportation Services Agreement between the Bahamas and Canada, which would allow the Bahamas to grant Canadian airlines and their affiliates ground handling rights in the Bahamas.

It would also approve an exemption of stamp duty on aviation fuel.

The Bahamas and Canada have several bilateral agreements, including on foreign investment and insurance and a treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in criminal matters, among others.

The Bahamas established diplomatic relations with Canada in 1973.

There are currently 500 Bahamian students at universities in Canada.