Jamaica’s first Honorary Consul to be appointed to Malta, Dr. Kevin Dingli, met with State Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Honourable Pearnel Charles Jr.during a courtesy call recently. The Government of Jamaica made the appointment as part of its efforts to advance bilateral and technical cooperation with the Republic of Malta, particularly in the areas of areas of trade and investment, tourism and maritime services.
Dr. Dingli, who has served as a representative of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) in Malta for over 10 years highlighted the potential for cooperation between both countries in maritime services.
Malta—a major transhipment hub in the Euro-Mediterranean region—is considered by Jamaica as a potential partner inJamaica’s efforts to position itself as a major logistics hub in the Western Hemisphere, by helping to develop the island’s logistics, maritime and port services.
Minister Charles, in speaking on the importance of the sector to Jamaica’s development noted,“We now have the Caribbean Maritime University which has shed greater light on the importance of logistics and the maritime industry. We intend to explore and develop these areas which will be critical for innovation and development.”
The Minister underscored that there was scope for increasing tourism, trade and commerce by building on the potential of Brand Jamaica.
The two countries are pursuing cooperation in the area of sustainable tourism, and the President of Malta, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca recently accepted the invitation to serve, along with Prime Minister Andrew Holness, as Honorary Co-chairs of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre at the UWI.
Dr. Dingli was on a visit to Jamaica to meet with various Ministers and government officials to gain a deeper understanding of the key priorities for the execution of his new role.
