`The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is deeply saddened by the passing of His Excellency Ambassador George R.E. (Mario) Bullen, former High Commissioner of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to Canada and former Ambassador of the OECS to Brussels. A great Caribbean stalwart and staunch regionalist, Ambassador Bullen was an accomplished diplomat with a formidable mix of diplomatic skills and personal qualities with a career spanning some thirty years. His belief in constantly improving upon his skills and sharing his experiences with the younger generation of diplomats was inspiring and this lesson and his lasting legacy will remain with many for a long time. The Caribbean Community acknowledges the outstanding contribution made by Ambassador Bullen to developments in the Caribbean through his firm and unyielding efforts in pursuing the interests of the Eastern Caribbean States and the Caribbean Community at large, even at times of the greatest external and internal challenges to the region. My long personal relationship with Ambassador Bullen sprung from such efforts. On behalf of the Caribbean Community and on my own behalf, I express deepest condolences to wife, Celia, his children Sean, Trevor and Celine and other family members and to the Government and People of Grenada, and join them in mourning the death but also in celebration of the life of His Excellency George R.E. (Mario) Bullen, a most dedicated and distinguished son of the Caribbean Community. May his soul rest in peace!’ From: Caribbean Community Secretariat