FORT DE FRANCE, Martinique (CMC) – The French overseas department of Martinique officially took its seat for the first time in the Caribbean Community (Caricom) during the opening ceremony of the Fifty-first Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government on Sunday, in St Lucia.

This first participation gives tangible expression to Martinique’s accession as an associate m)ember, which entered into force on June 16, 2026, following the signing of the accession agreement last year in Barbados and the ratification of the agreement on the privileges and immunities of Caricom.

During the opening ceremony, Caricom Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett officially welcomed Martinique as the community’s seventh associate member.

“It took many years for us to be accepted into Caricom. This shows how difficult it can be to belong to two institutional frameworks at once. But today, we are here,” said Serge Letchimy, president of the executive council in Martinique . “This should not be seen as an end in itself. It is only the beginning. We must now move into action. Businesses, financing and investment must now come on board.”

Meanwhile, the Caricom’s outgoing chairman, the Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew, said Martinique’s arrival illustrates the organisation’s core purpose: bringing the countries and territories of the Caribbean together around a concrete integration project that serves its people.

“We believe that together we are stronger,” he said. “We have a number of institutions that benefit us and that would be difficult for each country to establish on its own, but together we are able to make them a reality for the benefit of our people.”

“Martinique now has a more structured framework for engaging with its Caribbean neighbours. The president of the executive council intends to turn this dual positioning into concrete projects, economic exchanges, cooperation, mobility and investment, with the aim of making Martinique a point of connection between the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe and Africa. “We are reconnecting with our common home: the Caribbean. A door has been opened. It truly exists. We must now use it,” Letchimy concluded.