US COMMITTED TO PARTNERING WITH JAMAICA — CONGRESSWOMAN Yvette Clarke has reiterated that the US Government is committed to partnering with Jamaica on a raft of issues, aimed at strengthening economic development in the Caribbean island

Monday, November 16, 2015    

CONGRESSWOMAN Yvette Clarke has reiterated that the US Government is committed to partnering with Jamaica on a raft of issues, aimed at strengthening economic development in the Caribbean island.

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (fifth left) and Montego Bay Chamber
 of Commerce and Industry president, Gloria Henry (sixth left) are joined
 by awardees in the chamber's inaugural Business Leaders Wall
 of Fame (from left) Wayne Cummings, the senior director for administration
and business processes at Sandals Resorts International, representing
 hotel mogul Gordon 'Butch' Stewart; Aroon Dadlani and father Indru,
representing in-bond merchant pioneer BD Dadlani; tourism
transport mogul Ralph Smith; business exemplar, Anthony 'Tony' Hart
and Angella Whitter, representing the late real estate developer,
Joe Whitter at the MBCCI Annual Awards Banquet at the Rose Hall
Resort and Spa on Saturday night. (PHOTO: ACEION CUNNINGHAM)

"I am committed, as President Obama has been committed, to building the relationship between the United States and Jamaica on issues such as trade, energy security, and economic development," said Clarke, during her delivery of the keynote address at the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry Annual Awards Banquet at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in St James on Saturday.

"For this reason, I have worked to re-establish the Congressional Caribbean Caucus of the 114th Session of Congress," Clarke said. The caucus, she said, has already provided Members of Congress with the ability to coordinate with Caricom and individual Caribbean nations, such as Jamaica, to resolve problems such as natural disasters, and to support economic development. "With the Congressional Caribbean Caucus, we will continue to work with federal agencies to protect bilateral relations between the United States and Jamaica," she said.

Clarke, who in April, accompanied Obama on a visit to the island, told the gathering that the US president, who recently issued a proclamation designating June as National Caribbean American Heritage month, has demonstrated a genuine commitment to the relationship between the US and Jamaica and other Caribbean territories

"In meetings with Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and other leaders, President Obama pledged to expand support for economic development in the region," she emphasised, noting that trade between Caricom members and the US continues to increase, and has amounted to billions of dollars every year. more