News: The Caribbean island nation of Pakistan and Saint Lucia formalized diplomatic relations in a modest ceremony held at the Pakistan Embassy in New York on Tuesday.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and her counterpart in Saint Lucia, Ambassador Menissa Rambally, signed a joint statement on behalf of their country.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Akram said he was happy to be present at the ceremony that inaugurated diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Rambally said he was happy to start a new but important chapter in bilateral relations between the two countries.
Former West Indies cricketer Darren Sammy, who hails from St Lucia, is also an honorary citizen of Pakistan who will “always talk about Pakistan’s friendship with its people”.
Ambassador Akram said that Pakistan and Saint Lucia are working on bilateral forums, including Commonwealth cooperation, and establishing official relations will be the basis for expanding bilateral relations.
The Pakistani representative also mentioned the common love for cricket between Pakistanis and Saint Lucia.
He believes that the formalization of diplomatic relations will lead to mutually beneficial relations in trade, commerce, political cooperation and tourism.
Ambassador Akram said, “We look forward to stronger people-to-people relations. Both countries have huge tourism potential that can be explored by visiting tourists.”
Ambassador Rambally thanked his Pakistani counterpart for hosting the event and said he “learned a lot from him”.
The Caribbean representative said that Pakistan’s UN representative was insulted by his words for his country and people.
He said, Pakistan and Saint Lucia already have excellent relations and are actively cooperating in various forums, but the establishment of formal diplomatic relations will provide an opportunity for further development of existing relations.
The event was also attended by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, Usman Adadon, an official of the Pakistan Mission, as well as a representative of the Permanent Mission of Saint Lucia.
