France and Saint Kitts and Nevis

Share

Political relations

A delegation from Saint Kitts and Nevis, led by its Prime Minister, took part in COP21, held in Le Bourget from 30 November to 12 December 2015. This event helped to highlight our shared commitment in the fight against global warming. Like many of its Caribbean neighbours, Saint Kitts and Nevis was one of the first countries worldwide to ratify the Paris Agreement.

In 2015, Martinique joined the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), of which Saint Kitts and Nevis is a founding member. In 2019, Guadeloupe was awarded associate member status, and Saint Martin was admitted as an observer member.

French presence

France does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis, but is represented by an honorary Consul. There is an Alliance Française.

French community : 24 on consular register on 31 December 2019
Saint Kitts and Nevis community in France: 146

Visits

Main visits by Saint Kitts and Nevis to France:

  • 9 May 2015: visit to Fort-de-France in Martinique by the Prime Minister, Mr Timothy Harris, along with the Minister of Public Infrastructure, Post, Urban Development and Transport, Mr Ian Liburd, for the 2015 Caribbean Conference on Climate Change.
  • 30 November 2015: the Prime Minister, Mr Timothy Harris, and the Minister of Public Infrastructure, Post, Urban Development and Transport, Mr Ian Liburd, attended the 21ˢᵗ Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP21, Le Bourget).

Ambassadors

  • French Ambassador to Saint Kitts and Nevis (in residence in Saint Lucia): Mr Philippe Ardanaz
  • Honorary Consul of Saint Kitts and Nevis in Paris: Mr David P. Doyle (28, rue Pasteur - 92210 Saint-Cloud , tel: +33 (0)1.47.71.72.17 - Email: dpdoyle at orange.fr)

Economic relations

French company Terranov, based in Guadeloupe, has developed a project to grow the geothermal energy sector, and it has greatly progressed. It is part of a renewable (geothermal) energy and digital project involving the Leeward Islands: geothermal energy is produced in Saint Kits and Saba and transported via submarine cable (including digital vectors) to Saint Martin and potentially Saint-Barthélemy.

Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation

A cultural, scientific and technical cooperation agreement was signed on 16 December 1988. Most of France’s aid is provided to Saint Kitts and Nevis through the European Union. An Alliance Française branch operates at Basseterre and today has 110 students.

Cultural and educational cooperation operates via the Passport for French Education programme and the CARICOM FSPI IFLE project (€800,000) which helps develop three areas of cooperation: linguistic, economic and cultural. Most of the cooperation effort is focused on supporting the development of the geothermal energy sector.

Updated: June 2020