The Secretary General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Georges Chikoti, has added his voice in condemnation of the “very unfair process” through which the European Union, and its main development partner, blacklist Caribbean and other OACPS countries for alleged violation of international financial best practices.
“Well, indeed, I think this issue is not only for the Caribbean States, but also some of the African states and other island states, may it be on the Indian Ocean, and beyond,” Chikoti, told reporters.
“I do believe that the listing of states or member states, particularly of the OACPS is a very unfair process. It is not transparent. Countries are listed. They stay on a blacklist for a time, sometimes too long,” Chikoti said, adding that such blacklists affected the images of countries.
“And, indeed, this is one of the battles that ambassadors in Brussels do carry very strongly to make sure that this blacklisting does not continue, and that their member states are not deeply affected by this blacklisting, which is not, indeed, transparent,” the Angolan diplomat said.
“We do not know how we get on those lists. And sometimes we do not know how we come out of those lists.”
Chikoti said he appreciates, particularly, the role played by the OACPS in Brussels “to make sure that first the process is known and it is transparent and that member states have got the possibility to understand why they are on the blacklist, and that they are removed. And if they are removed, they no longer come back on those lists.
“So I think that it is a very unfair process. And it should stop. And we will continue in as much as we can to make sure that this process is better handled, and that our countries are not affected by this process of blacklisting.”
The 15-member Caribbean Community has repeatedly said it “deplores the ongoing unilateral, arbitrary and non-transparent blacklisting strategy” employed against its members by the European Union.
CMC/
