Grenada’s Prime Minister Hon. Tillman Thomas has called on his OECS counterparts to “work aggressively” to address the difficulties associated with air and sea transportation and food production, affecting both the economic development and the integration of the region. The Grenadian leader said while the region has achieved much over the last decade in establishment of the east Caribbean Central Bank; Supreme Court; Central Procurement Facility for pharmaceuticals; joint missions abroad; telecommunication unit; civil aviation authority; security arrangements and educational reforms, there is still mush to be done. “We often laud these advancements in functional cooperation. However, I am of the view that we now need to step outside the box to find solutions for some other problems that continue to plague us in the sub-region,” He said. In addressing the effects of high food prices on the region the Prime Minister said there is a need to embark on a serious food security drive through increased and appropriate agricultural production. “We live in a rapidly changing global world that forces constant adaptation to new trends. Our economic viability and even political survival would depend largely on our ability to do things for ourselves,” he declared. He said in determining the way forward, there must be a coordinated approach among OECS states to foster and stimulate economic activities while putting the people of the sub region “at the centre of everything we do.” The Grenadian Prime Minister said he was committed to the strengthening of the integration process in the Caribbean at a time when globalization, climate change and the economic downturn in the global economy was creating difficulties for small island states. Contact: Press Secretary Office of the Prime Minister pmoffice@gov.gd | pmoffice@spiceisle.com