Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen received Letters of Credence from the Ambassador-Designate of the Kingdom of Belgium to Jamaica, Mrs. Ellen De Gest, in a ceremony at King’s House on Thursday 7th September 2023.
In the ensuing exchange, Sir Patrick wished the new Ambassador a successful tenure that will foster positive relationships between the Kingdom of Belgium and Jamaica. The Ambassador in turn thanked The Governor-General for his warm welcome and said she was grateful for the opportunity to be assigned to a beautiful county such as Jamaica.
Jamaica and Belgium are often allies in multilateral fora too, both bilaterally and within the framework of the EU [European Union] and CARICOM. Belgium is also looking to work with the Jamaican Government to find ways to finance and implement the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and to deal decisively as a global community with the increasingly devastating effects of climate change.
Already the partnership between the two countries are fruitful as EXMAR, a shipping company specialised in transporting LNG [liquefied natural gas], is working closely together with the Caribbean Maritime University [CMU] to select Jamaican students to work on their ships. EXMAR has been training over 250 graduates from CMU over the past 15 years.
Jamaica and the Kingdom of Belgium established Diplomatic Relations over 60 years ago and has been a key player in the development of Jamaica’s transportation industry.