SVG establishes formal diplomatic relations with Kenya

On August 12, 2020, St Vincent and the Grenadines and the Republic of Kenya signed the Joint Communiqué establishing formal diplomatic relations.

FROM LEFT: Mrs. Charmane Tappin John, Minister Counsellor – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Her Excellency Claris Charles, Ambassador of Grenada and Dean of the CARICOM Diplomatic Corp; His Excellency Ellsworth John, Ambassador of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; His Excellency Anthony Muchiri, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya; His Excellency Valentino Longino Mlowola, Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania; His Excellency Lancelot Cowie, Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago; Mr. Yahesh Monari, Minister Counsellor – the Republic of Kenya.

The signing ceremony took place in Havana, Cuba, where His Excellency Ellsworth John, Ambassador of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the Republic of Cuba signed on behalf of the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and His Excellency Anthony Muchiri, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to the Republic of Cuba signed on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Kenya.

The momentous occasion was witnessed by His Excellency Valentino Longino Mlowola, Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania, Her Excellency Claris Charles, Ambassador of Grenada and Dean of the CARICOM Diplomatic Corp and His Excellency Dr. Lancelot Cowie, Ambassador of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Collaboration between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Republic of Kenya has been longstanding, as both countries customarily collaborate through membership and participation in the Commonwealth, Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the United Nations. Kenya will join Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in January 2021 as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

This establishment of formal diplomatic relations coincides with the appeal by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 68/237, which proclaimed 2015-2024 as the International Decade for People of African Descent. Therefore, boosting Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ thrust for deepened engagement with the African continent and augmentation of CARICOM-Kenya relations.

The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines welcomes the formalisation of diplomatic relations and hopes for greater bilateral cooperation with our Kenyan brothers and sisters.