Jamaica and the Dominican Republic have signed a Framework Agreement to expand cooperation in various sectors between the countries.
The Agreement was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, and her counterpart, His Excellency Roberto Alvarez, on November 8 during her official two-day visit to the Dominican Republic.
“It’s signing marks a deliberate step towards fortifying and expanding cooperation on a range of pivotal sectors,” Senator Johnson Smith said in an interview.She noted that the Agreement will allow the countries “to bolster political collaboration, catalyse trade and investment, and enrich educational and cultural interaction.”
“We will also share expertise and technology to boost agricultural production and, therefore, food security, and safeguard our shared environmental heritage through efforts in respect of biodiversity, water resource management and sustainable solid waste practices,” Senator Johnson Smith added.
During the visit, she delivered a Special Guest Lecture at the Dominican Republic’s Institute for Higher Education in Consular Training on November 9 under the theme: ‘61 Years Strong: A Foreign Policy of Principles, Pragmatism and Possibilities’.
“I was really honoured and pleased to accept the invitation to assist both practitioners and students of diplomacy to have a deeper understanding of Jamaicans as Caribbean neighbours and, more specifically, how Jamaica has exercised its foreign policy over the past 61 years,” Senator Johnson Smith said.
The audience included teachers and students of the Institute, members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, staff of Government Ministries, and members of the Jamaican Diaspora.
Minister Johnson Smith also visited the Jamaica Primary School, where she praised the teachers and students for their “commendable work”.
“The children gave brilliant and enthusiastic displays of knowledge about Jamaica. They spoke with such admiration about various aspects of Jamaican life, our culture, people and the symbolism behind the colours of the Jamaican flag,” she indicated.
