The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) welcomed Ms. Stacy M. Lomba, the newly appointed Political and Economic Counselor at the Embassy of the United States of America to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS, for discussions to strengthen engagement between the United States and the OECS.

The meeting, held at the OECS Commission in Saint Lucia, provided an opportunity to formally welcome Ms. Lomba to her new assignment and to build on recent discussions between the Commission and the US Embassy, including a previous engagement with Chargé d’Affaires Ms. Sullivan. Dr. Kisha Grant, Chief of Staff and Strategic Diplomacy at the OECS Commission, led the engagement on behalf of OECS Director General Dr. Didacus Jules.

Discussions focused on the longstanding ties between the United States and OECS Member States and the value of expanding engagement with the OECS as a regional institution and platform for collective action. Areas of mutual interest identified included investment and economic development, energy security, regional security, migration, digital transformation, resilient infrastructure, education and people-to-people exchanges.

Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of creating a more structured mechanism for dialogue on issues of shared interest, with the OECS Commission positioned to facilitate coordination among Member States and support engagement with the United States.

As a key outcome of the meeting, the OECS and the US Embassy agreed to advance preparations for an OECS Commission and US Embassy planning and working-level discussion at the earliest opportunity. This engagement is expected to help identify and coordinate Member States’ priority areas for cooperation and inform broader discussions between OECS Heads of Government and the US Embassy.

The OECS welcomed the constructive engagement and expressed its readiness to work with the United States Embassy to help translate shared interests, as mandated by the Heads of Government, into practical opportunities for cooperation.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: OECS and United States Embassy Advance Dialogue on Areas of Mutual Interest.