The Belize/Guatemala Joint Commission met on May 18th, 2021 at the Radisson Hotel in Belize City.
The encounter emanates from a directive by the foreign ministers of both countries at their meeting in March 2021 at the Organization of American States (OAS) Office in the Adjacency Zone to reactivate the work of the Belize/Guatemala Joint Commission.
The Joint Commission received reports on the status of implementation of four of the 13 agreements that were signed between the two countries in Placencia in December 2014. Those four agreements related to the recovery of stolen cultural artifacts, sustainable tourism, movement of students, and seasonal workers.
The Belize/Guatemala Joint Commission was established by the 2005 Framework Agreement on Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures signed between the two countries under the auspices of the OAS. The core of the Joint Commission is to pursue cooperation initiatives for the benefit of both nations.
Ambassador Amalia Mai, CEO in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, headed Belize’s delegation in her capacity as Belize’s Commissioner. Belize’s delegation also comprised H.E. Jose Alpuche, Ambassador of Belize in Guatemala.
Guatemala’s delegation was headed by H.E. Carlos Ramiro Martinez, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Guatemala’s Commissioner, and included H.E. Erwin Archila Falla, Ambassador of Guatemala in Belize.
The OAS was represented by Ambassador Agustin Espinosa, Special Representative of the Secretary General, along with Mr. Juan Carlos Amador, Director of the OAS Office in the Adjacency Zone.
Senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries also participated in the meeting.
