St Lucia Officially Joins ALBA

By: - August 9th, 2013

Above: St Lucia

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Lucia has officially become a full member of the Venezuela-led ALBA Alliance.

St Lucia acceded to the regional grouping at the end of July at the ALBA Presidential Summit in Ecuador.

“I would like to officially welcome Saint Lucia as a full member of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA),” said Venezuelan Ambassador to St Lucia Leiff Escalona. “I would also take this opportunity to acknowledge the teams of Venezuela and Saint Lucia for their hard work last week towards the initiatives to start the activation of PetroCaribe.”

St Lucia said it could now purchase oil on concessionary terms through PetroCaribe, which also has its own development arm.

Escalona said St Lucia Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony was “active” in his work to join ALBA.

“By joining ALBA the benefits for Saint Lucia will be determined for advancement in economic, cultural, social and in other areas because it is possible to create joint projects that will work for the development of communities throughout Saint Lucia for example the possible formation of musical collaborations and music scholarships in Venezuela and Saint Lucia,” Escalona said.

Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines are the other Caribbean members of ALBA.

News

American Airlines to Expand Service From New York to Antigua

Above: an American Airlines plane By the Caribbean Journal staff American Airlines will be increasing its service from New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport to Antigua and Barbuda this fall. The carrier will be operating daily flights to Antigua from Nov. 21 to March 31, 2014. “As a major tourism destination, Antigua & Barbuda […]

News

Cuba, Bahamas Hold Talks in Havana

Above: Havana By the Caribbean Journal staff Bahamian Foreign Minister Frederick Mitchell is currently on a working visit to Cuba. Mitchell held talks with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Marcelino Medina Gonzalez in Havana on Thursday, which the Cuban government called a “fraternal meeting.” Mitchell was joined by National Security Minister Bernard Nottage and Bahamian Ambassador […]

News

Anguilla Celebrates Summer Festival

Above: the Summer Festival in Anguilla By the Caribbean Journal staff Anguilla is currently celebrating the 2013 edition of its Summer Festival – the Caribbean’s island’s version of carnival. The festival, which began at the end of last week, has already seen the J’Ouvert Morning dance festival and a series of calypso, boating and pageant […]

Digicel to Remove Roaming Charges Across Caribbean Market

Above: a Digicel DL600 phone By the Caribbean Journal staff Digicel will be dispensing with roaming charges across its Caribbean and US markets, the company announced Thursday. The move will apply to voice, SMS and data roaming charges, meaning customers will pay the same rates when they travel in the Caribbean and the US. The […]

CARICOM Eyes Increased Funding From Development Partners

Above: CARICOM Headquarters in Guyana By the Caribbean Journal staff CARICOM has put forward a case for increased funding from its international development partners, the organization said. The goal is to “ensure that the Community’s positions are reflected in ongoing discussions on donor coordination and aid effectiveness, Small Island Developing and Low-Lying Coastal States and […]

Haiti Drops in FIFA Rankings, But Maintains Caribbean Lead

Above: a Digicel DL600 phone By the Caribbean Journal staff Digicel will be dispensing with roaming charges across its Caribbean and US markets, the company announced Thursday. The move will apply to voice, SMS and data roaming charges, meaning customers will pay the same rates when they travel in the Caribbean and the US. The […]

Bahamas, Qatar Form Diplomatic Ties

 Above: Ambassadors Mohamed Bin Abdulla Al-Rumaihi and Elliston Rahming (BIS Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The Bahamas has formally established diplomatic relations with Qatar. The move was made official at a ceremony last week at Qatar’s embassy in Washington, with Bahamian Permanent Representative to the OAS Dr Elliston Rahming signing for the Bahamas. The […]