SVG-Mexico Friendship Bridge opens to public

The official Opening of the Cumberland Bridge Reconstruction and River Embankment Protection Project was held Tuesday, March 20, in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves; Minister of Transport, Works, Urban Development and Local Government and Postal Services Julian Francis; General Director of Cooperation in the Caribbean and Central America of Mexico Julian Juarez, and Ambassador of Mexico to the East Caribbean States Oscar Esparza Vargas, as well as members of the Diplomatic Corps, other Government officials and local residents.

The project in question was financed by Mexico through the Infrastructure Fund for Mesoamerican and Caribbean Countries, with a grant of EC$13.5 million (US$5 million). The project encompassed various components related to the Cumberland River and the communities surrounding it, including protection of the embankment, three small bridges, road repair and the main bridge that crosses the Cumberland River. In that regard, Ambassador Vargas thanked Prime Minister Gonsalves for renaming the said main component of the project “Saint Vincent and the Grenadines-Mexico Friendship Bridge”, noting that the gesture will serve as a testimony of the good relations and close ties between the two countries.

In his speech, Juarez reiterated that “Mexico is part of the Greater Caribbean and, as such, is committed to contribution in the development of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as of its other Caribbean neighbours”. He also emphasized that the Caribbean region should take advantage of the synergies between countries and “face common challenges together, as allies”.

In the morning, before the ceremony, Juarez and Esparza held a meeting with PM Gonsalves to discuss, among other things, the regional and bilateral cooperation projects currently offered by Mexico, aimed at strengthening the integration, resilience and sustainability of the Caribbean. Some of these include technical and scientific cooperation regarding disaster risk management, agriculture, the financial sector and education, among other areas.