|
From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to advise members of the public that, in a virtual meeting held 18th February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Darren A. Henfield, MP, received the Copie d’Usage of H. E. Marianne Van Steen, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Jamaica and Ambassador-designate to The Bahamas, Belize, Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands. In a brief meeting held after the Presentation of Credentials, where the Minister congratulated Ms. Van Steen on her appointment, both sides acknowledged the longstanding relations between The Bahamas and the EU. Matters of mutual interests were discussed, in particular matters related to anti-money laundering, blacklisting, human rights, migration, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to ensure affordable access to the COVID-19 vaccine as well as The Bahamas’ accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Minister thanked the EU for their support thus far and emphasized The Bahamas’ desire to be known as a jurisdiction that cooperates with international regulations, particularly in relation to anti-money laundering, blacklisting and taxation matters which can be seen in the country’s delisting from the European Union’s Grey List of Non-Cooperative Jurisdictions for Tax Purposes in February 2020 and from the Financial Action Task Force’s List of Jurisdictions Under Increased Monitoring in December 2020. The Minister welcomed any further support and open, transparent communication in this regard. Both sides agreed on the need to continue the deepening of relations, for which technical meetings, including the annual High-Level Political Dialogue under Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement will be held during the course of the year. While the presentation of the Copie d’Usage will allow the Ambassador-designate to undertake activities at the functional level, she will present her Letters of Credence formally to the Governor-General at a later date.
|
