Belize, El Salvador Meet in San Salvador to Advance Trade and Security

Belizean and Salvadoran officials spent much of this week in San Salvador working through a packed regional agenda, from a leadership transition at the region’s top integration body to a formal bilateral commission covering everything from trade to migration.

The week began Tuesday with the installation of Ambassador Lina Ajoy as the new Secretary-General of the Central American Integration System, known as SICA. Belize’s delegation, led by Ambassador Oscar Arnold, Chief Executive Officer for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, joined counterparts from across the region for the handover. Also present were Belize’s Ambassador to El Salvador, Lou-Anne Burns Martinez, and Amalia Mai, who currently coordinates Belize’s Presidency Pro Tempore of SICA while serving as Ambassador to Mexico.

By Wednesday, attention shifted to bilateral matters, with Belize and El Salvador convening their third Binational Commission since the format was established. El Salvador’s delegation was led by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Adriana Mira, while Arnold again headed the Belizean side.

The two-day sitting covered a wide range of ground: trade, regional integration, defence and security, migration, health, agriculture, education, and tourism all featured in the discussions.