Premier Cora Richardson Hodge has arrived in St Vincent and the Grenadines to represent Anguilla at two major regional meetings.
She will be attending the 77th Meeting of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Authority and the Seventh Sitting of the OECS Assembly.
The meetings are taking place on 17 June in honour of the 44th anniversary of the OECS, a milestone being marked by member states across the region.
On arrival on 15 June, the premier was warmly welcomed at Argyle International Airport by St Vincent prime minister Ralph Gonsalves and agriculture minister Saboto Caesar.
She also enjoyed a musical reception by the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force Band.
In a brief interview, Richardson Hodge looked back at previous meetings and highlighted the importance of strong inter-island relations and collaboration on key issues.
“My first meeting with the OECS was in Saint Martin,” she said. “At that time, we were embracing French Saint Martin as being an associate member of the OECS.
“We had important discussions in terms of inter-regional shipping, in terms of having a closer relationship between the members of the OECS.”
She said she is looking forward to this week’s meetings which will allow these topics to be discussed further.
“There will be a handover in terms of leadership, but also continuation of the important meetings, especially when you look at what is happening on the on the global stage,” she said.
“It is important that as a region, we forge our relationships and we come closer together to be able to ensure that we are successful as a country, as a nation.”
The OECS is an intergovernmental body made up of countries and territories in the eastern Caribbean that work together to promote economic integration, regional cooperation and collective decision-making.
Established in 1981, the OECS helps its members coordinate policies on trade, health, education, the environment and foreign relations.
Watch the interview in full below:
