Dr. Timothy Harris Min. of Foreign Affairs, Int. Trade, Industry and Commerce of St. Christopher and Nevis
We think that Turkey is a gem which needs to be better promoted to the rest of the world
St. Kitts and Nevis is a small country in the North Eastern Caribbean, settled by the British in 1623, went through colonialism and eventually achieved independence in 1983. We receive about a half million tourists each year. Other activities in which we engage are exports of electronic products to the US, data processing and production for the export market.We are closely associated with the English speaking Caribbean, the US, Canada, the UK and of course Europe. About 60% of all tourists come from the US, the UK, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean region. We are one the fastest developing countries within the Caribbean and have ranked in the UN as the second best place to live in the Caribbean and ranked at the toplist to live within the OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States). Caricom and its importance for Caribbean Countries and the world? Caricom is a group of British or former English countries. In the Caribbean we have English speaking, Dutch speaking, French speaking and Spanish speaking islands. The majority of the islands of Caricom were part of the British colonization. There are 15 member states of Caricom and contains about 15 million people. Each country, just as in the EU, has sovereign rights. What we are attempting to do within Caricom, is to find a single market on economy, somewhat similar to what the European countries have done under the EU. Relation between Turkey and the member countries of Caricom? The relationship between Turkey and the member states of Caricom is beginning to grow. The Caricom region is attempting to expand its friendship and its level of cooperation. In the past we have had certain relationships which in the future will continue to be of critical importance. The US, as the most powerful country in the world economically, has for many centuries been our most significant neighbour and it is therefore a necessity, to maintain a stable and friendly relationship with the US. We have colonial links with Britain and the UK is a special country for us in that regard that all nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis have automatic access to the UK and US for a period of 6 months without visa. We are now in negotiation with the EU to allow nationals holding St. Kitts and Nevis passports to travel to the EU member countries that are part of the Schengen group, without a need for visa for short stays of 3 to 6 months. We want to expand our relations to include other countries within Europe. Turkey for us is important and we reach out to Turkey. We had an important meeting in Istanbul, a high level meeting of Caricom officials and the counterparts in Turkey which was the first formal outreach between Turkey and the Caricom member countries. We will now build a platform to allow higher level meetings to take place over time. In the UN system, we have 15 member countries and if we vote as a group, we have 15 votes. In the General Assembly, each member state is equal and now Turkey is pursuing for membership at the UN as a non-permanent member of the Security Counsil. For that to succeed, Turkey will need a significant support of the member states of the UN. You know there will be elections in October. We in St. Kitts and Nevis have committed to give Turkey our support which would be an important vote for Turkey. Impressions about Turkey? I have been very much impressed by Turkey, the scenery, the greeneries, the seas, the streets, the public places which have been created, the parks, etc… It is as a place that I would want to return to visit again and again. It has its own vitality, its own history. You have tremendous potential as a touristic destination. We think that Turkey is a gem which needs to be better promoted to the rest of the world, because it is a fantastic experience operating here in a multicultural environment. The warmth of your people is very good. The hospitality is of an excellent standard and it is very comfortable being in Turkey. Many people will be surprised by the cultural diversity within Turkey, not only in terms of the physicality of the country but also in terms of the human level of interaction, the warmth, the hospitality, the ease of which people can relate and the sense of safety and security. Message to Turkey? You have a very beautiful and wonderful country with a lot of potential and Turkey should re-introduce itself again to the world as a touristic destination, as a place for university type learning, like you have here some excellent universities and health care facilities. Turkey, with its strategic location, is linking the rest of the world to the Middle East, to the Caucasian region, to Africa, etc. It has tremendous strategic value to the rest of the world and can play a critical part and ensure the peace we all want and the peace you found in Ataturk, who spoke about peace at home and peace within the world. That is a vision which Turkey should promote. It is not just the peace, but also the development which is critical and those two must go together. The peace creates the environment in which the development can take place. And the development can only sustain if there is peace. All the world people want that. I think that Turkey has a critical role to play globally and we would want to encourage Turkey and the people of Turkey to be ready to play that role. We certainly would want Turkey to enjoy the membership of the UN Security Counsil.