Dominican Republic, Martinique request to join CARICOM

The Dominican Republic and Martinique have both requested to join the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as associate members, Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced on Wednesday.

President Ali is also serving as the current Chairman of CARICOM. He hosted his regional colleagues in Georgetown this week for regular talks.

He said the process of those countries becoming associate members has already started since they made the request and Heads of Government discussed it.

“The (CARICOM) Secretariat is going to work with both Martinique and the DR to fulfill the procedural aspect of things so by the time we get to July (when the next Regular Heads of Government meeting will be held), the full mechanism would be applied and recommendations would come to the Heads,” Dr. Ali said.

Last week, the DR Ambassador to Guyana, Ernesto Torres- Pereyra told the News Room that his country is still interested in joining CARICOM.

At least twice before – in the late 1980s and in 2013 – the DR requested to join CARICOM but discussions were suspended both times. The last time talks were suspended, it was over the DR’s large-scale deportation of Haitians. Haiti is a full member of CARICOM.

Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Philip Davis said discussing the DR’s treatment of Haitians is “part of the procedural process” the Secretariat is tasked with working through.

“Work has been continuing, it came out and we recognise what those issues are,” PM Davis said of the DR/ Haiti dynamic.