Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith says Jamaica continues to recognise Belgium’s support for the development of Jamaica’s human capital, through the provision of scholarships and training opportunities, and is eager to expand economic ties with the European country.

“Jamaica is committed to ensuring that cooperation projects and investment activities yield mutually beneficial results, and therefore, is eager to expand cooperation with Belgium in several sectors. We are eager to expand cooperation with Belgium in several sectors. We look forward to further collaboration in logistics, culture, tourism, investment and education, to name a few,” Johnson Smith said.

Johnson Smith who was addressing guests at the Belgian Embassy’s Kings Day reception, held at the Spanish Court Hotel on November 22, said Belgium, as one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, continues to make significant strides in its economic, social and sustainable development.

“On this occasion we pause to acknowledge and celebrate the special bonds of friendship and partnership, which have characterised our diplomatic relations over the past 60 years. I am particularly delighted that Belgium has remained a key development partner for Jamaica, contributing significantly to the modernization of our transportation sector, particularly through the supply of buses to the Jamaica Urban Transit Company and the construction of the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre,” Johnson Smith said.

Hugo Verbist, ambassador of Belgium to Jamaica, said the relations between the two countries have grown from strength to strength, and these relations have expressed themselves in various fields, politically, economically and culturally.

“Politically, both of our countries are examples of true and functioning democracies in a world where democratic values are increasingly at risk, and we should continue to cherish this, as this is something which can never be taken for granted. Jamaica and Belgium are often allies in multilateral fora too, both bilaterally and within the framework of the EU and CARICOM,” Verbist said.

The Belgium ambassador said they were also looking to work together with the Jamaican government, in finding ways to finance and implement the SDGs, and in dealing decisively as a global community with the increasingly devastating effects of climate change.

He added that they were equally willing to explore opportunities to share well-known Belgian expertise regarding offshore wind energy.

“EXMAR, a shipping company specialised in transporting LNG gas, is working closely together with the Caribbean Maritime University to select Jamaican students to work on their ships. EXMAR has been training over 250 graduates from CMU over the past 15 years. Currently, a stable pool of about 100 Jamaicans are working as officers or crew on EXMAR-ships,” he said.

The Belgian companies BESIX and TRANSURB he said have built one of the most iconic buildings in downtown Kingston, the Half Way Tree bus terminal. The Belgian dredging company Jan De Nul has contributed to the expansion of the Kingston port, and a collaboration between the Port of Antwerp International and the Port Authority in Kingston is being explored. In addition, TUI Fly Belgium is flying weekly from Brussels to Montego Bay.

More than 200 guests, including diplomats and business interests, participated in the Belgian Embassy’s King’s Day celebration.

To recreate as much as possible the true Belgian experience of the Kings Day celebration, two renowned Belgian Chefs Bart Denys and Dries Cloet from the Hotel School Ter Duinen in Koksijde in Belgium were flown in for the occasion. They prepared the food for the reception, in close collaboration with the team of Spanish Court Hotel under the able leadership of Chef Christopher Channer and Chef Viola.

Belgian King’s Day is traditionally celebrated on November 15. It is the name day of the first King of Belgium, crowned shortly after Belgium became independent, now 192 years ago.