TOKYO: Foreign ministers of Japan and member nations of the Caribbean Community, or CARICOM, agreed at a meeting in Tokyo Saturday to enhance cooperation in disaster management and the fight against climate change.

A joint statement adopted at the meeting said the ministers “welcomed Japan’s expression of its continued support” in sectors including disaster risk reduction and climate change.

Apparently keeping in mind China, which is boosting its presence in Caribbean nations, the statement also said, “Any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion are unacceptable anywhere in the world,” adding, “Such challenges to the international order are a shared concern between Japan and CARICOM.”

“We, as island countries tackling common challenges, have established good relations,” Japanese Foreign Minister IWAYA Takeshi said at the beginning of the meeting, held at the Foreign Ministry. “We want to maintain the momentum and develop our relations further,” he added.

As part of the meeting, a signing ceremony was held for documents on Japan’s grant aid to support Caribbean nations in the fields of agriculture and water resources through the supply of equipment and technological cooperation.

This is the eighth Japan-CARICOM foreign ministers meeting and the first in Japan since 2014.

CARICOM, comprising 14 Caribbean nations, was established in 1973 to promote cooperation in the medical field and the region’s economic integration.

Designating this year as the Japan-CARICOM friendship year, Japan is implementing exchange programs with member nations of the regional forum.

Of the 12 countries with diplomatic ties with Taiwan, five, including Haiti and Belize, are CARICOM members. Japan, which regards Taiwan as an important partner that shares basic values, aims to help boost the international position of the self-governing island by deepening ties with the Caribbean region.

JIJI Press