Photo: Roberto Alvarez, the Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic hands over chairmanship of SICA to Hon. Eamon Courtenay

by Charles Gladden

BELMOPAN, Thurs. Feb. 2, 2023

On Wednesday, February 1, a small ceremony was held in Belmopan at which the chairmanship of SICA’s (Central American Integration System) Council of Foreign Ministers was handed over to Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Minister Courtenay will hold the position, which was previously held by Roberto Alvarez, the Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic, for six months.

Minister Courtenay told members of the media that the day before the event there was a formal transfer of chairmanship and a discussion on Belize’s plans while it holds the SICA presidency.

“We were able to have an exchange of very important views on very important matters, including the issue of Haiti and the very precarious position in Haiti at this time, as well as some migration issues, the flow of people through the region, and including the Dominican Republic. In those discussions we exchanged concerns and some ideas about how we can try to, as best as possible, discourage or stop the smuggling and trafficking of persons through the region,” Minister Courtenay said.

“We consider Belize not only as an important partner within the system but an essential one, as Foreign Minister Courtenay has pointed out, because of particular roles that Belize play as a bridge between our Central American system and the CARICOM group of countries,” said Alvarez.