Above: current CARICOM Chairman and St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves and Martinique Regional Council President Serge Letchimy (Photo: OPRM)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Martinique Regional Council President Serge Letchimy’s historic visit to the CARICOM Heads of Government conference is part of a bid for associate membership status in the regional bloc.

The French Caribbean department first began the process of applying for membership in the summer of 2012.

Letchimy’s visit represents the first time a president of the island’s regional council has been invited to speak at the Conference of Heads of State and Government.

Martinique has already attained similar status in a number of regional blocs, most recently the Association of Caribbean States, along with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

In a statement, Letchimy said his visit to Martinique was aimed at “defending the application of Martinique as an associate member of CARICOM.”

CARICOM currently has five associate members: Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

In a statement on social media, Letchimy called the visit “an advancement for Martinique.”