Durrant Pate/ Contributor

Jamaica has two new foreign envoys, who have taken up office locally.

They are Ambassador-designate of the Republic of Cuba to Jamaica Tania López Larroque, and Ambassador-designate of Japan to Jamaica, Kohei Maruyama. Both Ambassador-designates presented a copy of their Letters of Credence to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, yesterday at her ministry’s downtown Kingston head office. 

The Ambassador-designates will formally be accredited to the island when they present their Letters of Credence to Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen.

After being appointed by the Government of Cuba as its envoy to Jamaica, López Larroque arrived on the island on December 8. Her arrival coincided with the 53rd anniversary of diplomatic relations between Jamaica and Cuba. 

Both Minister Johnson Smith and Ambassador-designate López Larroque had discussions yesterday on the longstanding bilateral relationship between Jamaica and Cuba, Jamaica’s chairmanship of CARICOM, and matters related to CARICOM–Cuba relations.

Cooperation in health and education was also discussed with Minister Johnson Smith, expressing Jamaica’s appreciation for Cuba’s continued support, including the additional scholarships offered to Jamaican students.

Both sides expressed solidarity following the passage of Hurricane Melissa. 

In welcoming Ambassador-designate Maruyama to Jamaica, Johnson Smith conveyed best wishes for a successful tour of duty and reflected on the scope of cooperation between the two countries.

She reiterated Jamaica’s appreciation for Japan’s support to recovery efforts following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, as well as ongoing development assistance delivered through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). 

Maruyama, for his part, expressed his commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties and exploring additional avenues for cooperation under the Jamaica–Japan (J-J) Partnership, which spans more than 60 years of bilateral relations.