Thank you, Prime Minister, [of Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves], 

I am very happy to welcome you, to welcome Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves in Brussels.  

We are getting used to each other because it is our third meeting this year. First, we met in March in Santo Domingo. Last week we were in Bogota discussing about Venezuela. And today we will continue our discussions about the relations of the European Union with the Caribbean states, with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the wider regional issues. 

Saint Vincent and Grenadines plays an important role this year. A small country but an important role, because they will be holding the pro tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean states – CELAC – a community which has 33 Member States. So, together, 33 plus 27 [EU Member States], we are exactly 60 Member States. 

This is the first time that a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has this role. So, a big part of our discussion will be focusing on the preparations of the EU-CELAC Summit in July – in two months. 

Now, we continue working to prepare this [Summit] meeting and we will do it today, together, my dear Prime Minister. 

We are very grateful for your leadership, your efforts [and] your dedication and time to the organisation of this Summit. 

As I said several times, this Summit is very important for us for various reasons.  

First, because it comes late, it has [been] more than 7 years since we met in this regional format. 7 years is a lot of time in the speed of the world today. And because we hope that this meeting will mark the re-launching of our bi-regional relations to consolidate and institutionalise our regular political dialogue.  

There are many issues that we have to deal with. 

The geopolitical [context] today is a very complicated one and we will have to talk about climate change, the digital transition, social justice, how to reinforce our democracies, paying particular attention to the Caribbean, which has its particularities and distinct economic, geographic and cultural identity, [and] specific problems also as Small Island Developing States (SIDS). 

I can assure you, Prime Minister, that it will be high in our agenda.  

We know that this [Summit] will take place in the middle of geopolitical turmoil, geopolitical instability, inflicted by the war in Ukraine.  

We are very much thankful, Prime Minister, for your principled position and support to the United Nations resolutions.  

This is the agenda that we will have today in our discussion. I hope that we will be able to address the most important issues: the spill-over effects of the war – certainly - but also many other issues which are specific for the region and more in particular, specific for the Caribbean. 

Thank you, and most welcome to Brussels. 

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-240614