Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 23, 2015 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis recognizes that the country is at an important juncture in the life of the nation and the time has come for the citizens and friends of St. Kitts and Nevis to come together, pool resources, ideas and expertise and unite in building a stronger and even better nation. This is according to Honourable Mark Brantley, Minister of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Civil Aviation, who was attending an Honorary Consuls Meeting held at the Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) on Thursday, October 22.
“As Minister of Foreign Affairs it is my duty to translate this national vision into a proactive, practical and robust foreign policy, rooted in the demands and realities of the 21st Century that would enhance St. Kitts and Nevis’ regional and global footprints in support of our medium and long term goals and priorities,” Minister Brantley said, adding that MOFA must expand its outreach to develop new and strategic partnerships to ensure that cooperation becomes a powerful motivating force for positive change.
“As the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis endeavors to pursue a comprehensive and multidimensional public policy that builds on the past gains to support the conditions in which investment, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship can prosper and thrive, it is important and urgent that we enlist our international partners to become active stakeholders in our country’s future,” he said.
He described the Honorary Consuls, who represent 18 different countries from across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean as an important part of the Federation’s alliance of nation-builders and urged them to continue to collaborate with the Government and people in promoting the interests of St. Kitts and Nevis in key sectors of its economy.
“We invite you to find new and innovative ways to apply your skills, experience and resources to advancing the resilience-building and prosperity agenda of St. Kitts and Nevis,” said the Foreign Minister, while noting that although the Federation is faced with the challenges of being a small nation in a globalized and asymmetrical world, the government and people of this small twin-island Federation have proven to be fit and ready to rise to the challenges.
Minister Brantley said that all indications, as reported by international monitoring institutions, are that the country’s fundamentals are strong and the near-term outlook is positive.
He said St. Kitts and Nevis’ graduation to high income country status is testimony to the success of the country’s home grown efforts to become globally competitive in many sectors. “St. Kitts and Nevis is open for business, and ready to welcome the world,” he stated.