OECS Commission and the Russian Federation Explore Areas for Cooperation
Thursday, May 4, 2017 — Avenues in which to promote and strengthen deeper cooperation between the OECS and the Russian Federation were preliminarily explored in an introductory meeting between the Director General of the OECS, His Excellency Dr. Didacus Jules and His Excellency Vladimir Vinokurov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to select OECS Member States including Dominica, Saint Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda.
Some functional areas of cooperation deliberated upon included sharing expertise in the fields of Oceanography, Agriculture, Sports, Youth Exchanges and Tertiary Scholarships.
Dr. Jules said Russia has been a long standing friend of the Caribbean with cooperation outcomes evident across historic relations with Cuba and Grenada as examples, in the fields of medicine, education, science and sports.
“Although we are at early stages, the opportunities to deepen our cooperation with the Russian Federation across a range of bi-lateral and multi-lateral agreements are notable.
"The Russian Federation through its scholarships offer world class educational opportunities. Further, with the OECS agri-shipping initiative in motion and the desire for OECS producers to enter new export markets, Member States such as Grenada are well placed to export seasonal high value products such as its diversity of spices to markets in Russia.
“The OECS Commission looks forward to future engagements with Ambassador Vinokurov as we collectively explore opportunities to further existing and new areas of functional cooperation” said Dr. Jules.
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