PORT OF SPAIN: 17TH MARCH, 2023
Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry and Acting Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, met with Her Excellency Sonya Koppe, newly-appointed High Commissioner for the Commonwealth of Australia to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago during a Courtesy Call on Thursday 16th March, 2023, at the Ministry’s headquarters.
The courtesy call took place prior to the High Commissioner’s presentation of her Letters of Credence to Her Excellency Paula-Mae Weekes O.R.T.T., President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, which took place at President’s House later that morning.
Discussions during the meeting focussed on high-level engagement and cooperation in the fields of maritime transport and trade between Trinidad and Tobago and Australia. Representation of women in positions of authority was also discussed In this regard, it was noted that the inauguration of Trinidad and Tobago’s second female Head of State was forthcoming and it was highlighted that High Commissioner Koppe is the first female Australian Head of Mission in this region.
The meeting ended cordially with both Minister Gopee-Scoon and Her Excellency committing to strengthening the bilateral relationship between Trinidad and Tobago and Australia. Her Excellency Koppe is a career diplomat who previously served in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and South Africa. The High Commissioner is concurrently accredited to fourteen Caribbean countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
