Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen received the Letters of Credence from the Ambassador -Designate of the Federal Republic of Germany to Jamaica, Dr. Stefan Keil, in a ceremony on Friday morning 10th September at King’s House.
His Excellency Sir Patrick Allen receiving Letters of Credence from Ambassador-designate of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Stefan Keil at King’s House on Friday, September 10, 2021.
The Governor-General, in welcoming the new Ambassador acknowledged the long-standing diplomatic relations between Jamaica and Germany as well as the respect mutually shared. The Ambassador spoke of his intention to strengthen the Germany/Jamaica bilateral and diplomatic relationship, adding that it was a privilege to be serving in Jamaica at this time.
While acknowledging that we are living in unusual times which have prevented us from seeing each other’s faces, The Governor-General observed that our resilience and creativity would enable us to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic successfully. He highlighted sports, education, the environment, and trade as areas in which both countries have collaborated successfully.
Diplomatic relations between Jamaica and Germany span over fifty-nine years. Some of the notable results from the partnership are a Technical and Economic Cooperation Agreement signed in 1964, under which the Jamaican-German Automotive School (JAGAS) was established in 1976. In 1985, several mini-hydropower plants, still in operation, were created. Germany also assisted in Jamaica’s fight against AIDS in the 1990s and the upgrading of the Jamaica Bureau of Standards. Jamaica received a donation of 29 ventilators and other vital medical supplies from the European Union and benefitted from its donation of an €8million grant to the Caribbean Regional Public Health Authority (CRPHA) to support the regional response to the pandemic.