Press Releases
Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Eri Visits Barbados
From July 23 (July 23 local time) to July 24 (July 24 local time), Ms. ERI Arfiya, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, visited Barbados. The overview is as follows.
1. Courtesy Call on Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Humphrey
On July 23, Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI paid a courtesy call on the Hon. Kirk HUMPHREY, M.P., Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs of Barbados.
At the outset, Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI welcomed the continued cooperation in various areas prompted by Minister HUMPHREY’s visit to Japan in 2023, and expressed her expectation for the further deepening of exchanges through people-to-people exchanges toward the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Barbados in 2027.
Minister HUMPHREY expressed his gratitude for Japan’s support to date and his intention to develop bilateral relations further, while continuing to learn from Japan’s efforts to address the aging of society and others which are common social challenges for both countries.
2. Courtesy Calls on Minister of Training and Tertiary Education Husbands (Former Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Business)
On July 24, Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI paid courtesy calls on the Hon. Cheryl Sandra HUSBANDS, M.P., Minister of Training and Tertiary Education of Barbados.
At the outset, Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI mentioned that at the Japan-CARICOM Ministerial-Level Conference held last December (2024), Japan and Barbados confirmed that they will work as global partners sharing values and principles to address new challenges facing the international community, and she expressed her intention to materialize this outcome and lead the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Barbados in 2027 to success.
Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI and Minister HUSBANDS confirmed that they will work together on disaster risk reduction, global issues, Asian and other regional affairs. During the meeting, Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI asked for understanding and cooperation of Barbados for the immediate resolution of the abductions issue and gained support form Minister HUSBANDS.
Furthermore, they concurred to work together to realize a visit to Japan by dignitaries of the Government of Barbados for the Barbados National Day at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
3. Visit to Bridgetown Fishery Port
On July 24, Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI visited the Bridgetown Fishery Port, which was damaged by Hurricane Beryl last year (2024) and had received support from Japan, and she received an explanation about the status of its recovery from the damage and the support initiatives.
4. Visit to Homeless and Emergency Shelter
On the same day, Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI visited Homeless and Emergency Shelter that received assistance through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects. She received the explanation that the shelter serves as both a shelter for homeless women and as an evacuation shelter in times of disasters, and that it is highly evaluated locally.
5. Exchange of Views at Luncheon Meeting with Former JET Programme Participants
On the same day, Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI exchanged views with former JET Programme participants and expressed her congratulations on the establishment of the JET Programme Alumni Association (JETAA) in Barbados this year.
(Reference) JET Programme
The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET Programme) invites young people from foreign countries and assigns them to the local governments and other organizations with the objective of enhancing foreign language education and promoting international exchanges in regional areas.