Official Opening Statement
At the VI Ministerial Conference

By Dr. Earl Asim Martin
Minister of Energy
June 11, 2009

Minister Ramirez, Colleague Ministers from across the region ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to savour this opportunity on behalf of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and on behalf of all our people to welcome you, our brothers and sisters for having joined us in this important meeting here today.

Our coming together demonstrates a common desire among all of us to further strengthen the bonds of integration and cooperation in our quest to develop our peoples based upon solidarity and reciprocal cooperation.

I am deeply honored to co-host such an important meeting as this ministerial in which we are participating today.

This ministerial is in fact the VI ministerial of Petrocaribe and holds particular significance on two (2) counts (1) St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest country to host such an event (2) the meeting comes at a time when the fallouts from a harsh global environment have forced small island states like ours to perpetually review their financial and economic policies in our struggle to boost our own sustainability.

Each of us seated in this meeting can testify to the fact that since the creation of Petrocaribe in 2005, we have never witnessed such stalk global economic realities which have continued to threaten our social, financial and economic fabrics.

The world has changed considerably since our last meeting held in Punta la Cruz. In like manner therefore we as ministers of energy must seek to bring to the table new initiatives that would be developed into implement-able plans of action in our quest to mitigate the impact of such a harsh economic environment.

As we brainstorm and strategise it is incumbent upon all of us to re-examine and redefine the parameters within the framework for cooperation in energy matters.

We can all further testify that Petrocaribe is today a reality displaying concrete results in the economic, energy-related and social spheres.

However, failure to be vigilant and flexible could jeopardize our chances of providing the impetus to achieve creditable levels of human and institutional developments within our respective territories within the energy sector.

Here in St. Kitts in particular we have seen the obvious benefits of the Petrocaribe arrangement. Although the full benefits are not yet realized due to lack of certain infrastructure, the quality of life of all our people has begun to show remarkable signs of improvement. Over 509,000 BBLS of diesel and 2000 BBLS of bitumen have already been delivered.

The establishment of the joint venture company in 2008 has contributed significantly to a further strengthening of the existing relationship between our two countries.

Being cognizant of our existing physical limitations, we have obtained considerable resources through the Alba Caribe Fund to implement new projects for infrastructure.

The future prospects of Petrocaribe are bright and the expectations of our people very high.

Ladies and gentlemen, it will be remiss of me not to comment briefly on the preparations for this meeting. I am extremely grateful to the Government of Venezuela for having partnered with us in such a Convincing manner to prepare for this meeting. We could not do it alone. This partnership arrangement symbolizes the true spirit of the Petrocaribe Agreement - a further practical demonstration of integration and partnership.

Without such inputs this meeting will not be the success that l am certain it will be, given our limited resources.

It is my sincere hope that you will find the atmosphere sufficiently stimulating and encouraging to engender a free flow of ideas that could be developed into practical approaches to further guide us in these difficult times.

It is therefore against this backdrop that I extend a warm welcome and a hand of friendship to all my colleague ministers gathered here this morning.

A hearty welcome to St. Kitts and Nevis and I hope you will find a few moments outside the corridors of these meetings to savour our hospitality, our culture and our delights.

Again I say welcome.

I THANK YOU.