Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith on Friday extended Jamaica’s gratitude to the countries that have maintained diplomatic relations with the island since 1962 when the nation attained political independence.

In a statement in the Senate, Johnson Smith said it was a “most significant development” that 12 countries, in the latter part of 1962, established diplomatic relations with Jamaica.

“It was good to have such friends, for early and steady support in these nascent stages of our development,” she said.

The 12 countries are Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Israel, South Korea, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (USA).

“It is therefore my great pleasure to publicly acknowledge these countries with which we celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations this year. Of these 12 countries, nine have diplomatic missions here in Kingston — Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, South Korea, the UK, and the USA,” she said as representatives of those missions, along with the honorary consul of Israel, listened from the gallery.

Non-resident ambassadors of the Netherlands and Switzerland watched the proceedings online.

“We pay tribute to these countries, which have been with us from the very beginning. Their faith in our ability to chart our own destiny and their commitment to lending support in this regard have not gone unnoticed. We salute their resolve to be a part of our journey when we were keen to assert our newfound freedom and independence, and they shared our vision and determination to do so. The sense of responsibility that the occasion warranted was not lost on us,” she said.

Johnson Smith, who is also leader of Government business in the Senate, said that the depth of the relations has been influenced by several important factors, including geographic proximity, which “has meant that we have a symbiotic relationship with both the United States of America and Canada that has enabled us to partner very closely on a number of key issues”.

“It is no surprise, therefore, that both countries have proportionately been significant players in our socio-economic development. Since 1962, USAID has provided assistance totalling some US$1.4 billion in critical areas such as the environment, health, education, renewable energy, and citizen security. During Prime Minister Holness’s visit to the USA in March of this year, Vice-President [Kamala] Harris announced over US$52 million in different forms of aid and cooperation. Even more recently, at the Jamaica-US Strategic Dialogue, further support was committed by the Biden Administration,” she said.

The same, she said, holds true for Canada, with whom Jamaica shares a special bond regionally and as members of the Commonwealth.

“The depth and range of our cooperation is also demonstrated in the consistent support reflected over the years, especially for justice reform and the empowerment of our women and girls. Last month, Canada reiterated its commitment to support gender equality with the launch of two new programmes valued at approximately $1.12 billion,” she said.

In the case of the UK, the friendship, while steeped in historical connections, is buoyed by the shared desire to build a transformative, sustainable partnership.

“As one of our largest bilateral partners, current support from the UK, primarily through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, amounts to £81.3 million, with some £52.9 million for irrigation projects under the UK-Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund being administered by the Caribbean Development Bank. The Government also benefits from regional projects valued at approximately £7.2 million in the areas of climate change resilience and economic growth,” she said.

All three countries — US, Canada, and UK — are home to significant numbers of Jamaicans, which further underpins the strong bonds of cooperation.

“The intensity of our engagement is also evident through our shared membership of regional and hemispheric bodies, and the countless number of high-level visits that have been undertaken over the decades,” she added.

She said one of the areas in which Jamaica has benefited tremendously from diplomatic relations is the development of human capital through offers of scholarships, courses and training programmes.

“The governments of Brazil and Germany, for example, have provided critical support over the years to the HEART/NSTA Trust, while hundreds of Jamaicans have maximised the various opportunities afforded under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme since its inauguration in 1964,” Johnson Smith related.

She said that Jamaica’s natural love for French culture and language has seen more citizens availing themselves of the opportunity to participate in the teaching assistant programme, as well as to benefit from language courses and study programmes between The University of the West Indies and French universities. Similar educational opportunities have also been extended by the Netherlands and Switzerland, while many Jamaicans also pursue study and training opportunities in Canada, the UK, and the USA.

Johnson Smith said the country is also grateful for the cooperation in the field of health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I, again, wish to place on record the sincere appreciation of the Government and people of Jamaica to our friends who stood with us during this challenging period. With their help, we were able to secure over 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the USA, UK, Canada, Germany, France and India,” she said, pointing out that the gift from India was “particularly special, given its timing and context”.

“We also received medical supplies and equipment from Canada, the Republic of Korea, Brazil, the USA, the UK, Germany, Israel, and India which specifically supported the COVID-19 response, but also strengthened the resilience of our health sector. We thank you for your assistance in ensuring that our public health system was able to function effectively in the context of both the strain imposed by COVID-19 and our ability to respond to future pandemics,” she said.

Johnson Smith also thanked countries with which Jamaica established diplomatic relations after 1962, noting that Kingston is home to 26 diplomatic missions.

“I therefore use this opportunity to pay tribute to all those countries, with which we have nurtured respectful and friendly relations over the years. The road to development since independence has not been without its challenges, but we are not only optimistic but re-ignited in this special year as we mark progress on many indicators including economic stability and employment,” she said.

Leader of Opposition business in the Senate Peter Bunting joined the Government in publicly acknowledging the countries with which Jamaica celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations this year.

“I also want to acknowledge the support that we got in diverse areas, in particular in the area of national security when I was at the Ministry of National Security and the close cooperation we had with a number of the countries…in supporting our law enforcement, developing capabilities in intelligence gathering, intelligence sharing and in fact financially supporting us by providing substantial resources in that regard,” he said.