Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 16, 2015 (SKNIS): Honourable Mark Brantley, Minister of Foreign Affairs, is presently in Washington D.C. attending the 45th General Assembly of the Organization of the American States (OAS).
Minister Brantley welcomed the new Secretary General, and expressed his desire to working alongside him.
“Mr. Chairman, please allow me to warmly welcome Secretary General His Excellency Luis Almagro to his first general assembly as head of this esteemed organization,” Minister Brantley said. “I look forward to what the next five years might bring and trust that under his leadership, the OAS will continue to build upon the successes of the past, while constructing the blue print for the future.”
Honourable Brantley commented on the theme of the meeting and stressed that the transition of leadership is timely.
“I believe it is fitting, that at this key moment of organizational and leadership transition, the General Assembly is being held here at the organization’s headquarters,” he said. “The theme; “The Present and Future of the OAS” represents a call for all of us as member states to critically examine the present institution that we have and strategize the future of the organization that we want.”
Still commenting on the theme, Minister Brantley further stressed St. Kitts and Nevis’ commitment to the future of the OAS.
“From its accession to membership until today, St. Kitts and Nevis has been a strong supporter of this organization and remains proudly and unreservedly committed to its future,” he stated. “St. Kitts and Nevis re-affirms its belief in and commitment to the OAS and its fundamental pillars.”
Commenting on the recently held VII Summit of the Americas in Panama, Minister Brantley said “the summit showcased the transformational capacity of constructive engagement and political dialogue. It also reflected a hemispheric recognition of the importance of investing in development cooperation if this hemisphere is to achieve prosperity with equity.”
The Foreign Minister said “a key tenet of planning for the future must be consistency in focus orientation and emphasis.” This he stated should be “reflected in the meetings of the Heads of State and Government at the General Assembly, at other ministerial meetings as well as ongoing deliberations at the General Secretariat.”
He further stated that St. Kitts and Nevis “values the immeasurable, tangible and consistent support it has received from the OAS.” He made mention of the ongoing growth of the federation, stating that the “human capital, disaster preparedness and resilience programmes, youth entrepreneurship initiatives have all been fortified with the support of OAS programmes.”
In closing, Minister Brantley said that mapping the future of the OAS is not a small undertaking. He said “it must be a continuous process as we seek to live up to expectations of our populations and develop effective mechanisms and programmes that can deliver for all out or people.”
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