Above: the signing ceremony in New York

By Michael Bascombe

Grenada has formally established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Permanent Representatives to the United Nations Ambassadors Dessima Williams and Byrganym Aitimova signed a Joint Communiqué on behalf of the governments of Grenada and the Republic of Kazakhstan respectively.

The parties also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support the city of Astana’s candidacy to hold an International Exposition known as EXPO 2017.

“Ambassador, allow me to thank you for your efforts and to trust that our two countries will continue on a path of increased cooperation and friendship,” Williams said.

“Kazakhstan shares many similarities with Grenada: geographically, for even though you are a landlocked country, you have the sea; we share a desire to the adherence to the rule of law, to the desire to improve the lives of women and to the vigorous interest in international affairs here in the UN and elsewhere and to friendship,” she said.

Both officials said they anticipated a cooperation agenda between the two countries in energy, tourism (including hotel construction) and people-to-people exchanges.

Earlier this year, a delegation from Kazakhstan held discussions in Grenada about Astana’s bid to host EXPO-2017.

The officials met with Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Elizabeth Henry-Greenidge and also discussed the formalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Astana’s bid to host EXPO-2017 was a separate and important subject of the negotiations, according to Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry.

Grenadian officials expressed an interest in the exhibition theme suggested by Kazakhstan, dubbed “Energy of the Future.”