Pakistan and Saint Lucia, an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean, formalized their diplomatic relations on Tuesday at a simple ceremony held at the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations. Ambassador Munir Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, and his counterpart from Saint Lucia, Ambassador Menissa Rambally, signed a joint communiqué formalizing the diplomatic ties between the two countries, on behalf of their governments. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Akram said, “Both countries have been cooperating at multilateral forums, including at the Commonwealth, stating that the establishment of formal relations would serve to expand bilateral ties, especially in the realms of trade, commerce, political cooperation, and tourism.” The people of Pakistan and St. Lucia, he said, had shared their love for cricket. “We look forward to the stronger people-to-people bond. There is immense tourism potential in both the countries that can be explored through visits by the tourists,” he said. In her remarks on the occasion, Ambassador Menissa Rambally expressed her happiness at the start of a new but significant chapter in the bilateral relations between the two countries. She said, “Former West Indies star cricketer, Darren Sammy, who belongs to St. Lucia, is also an honorary Pakistani citizen, “who would always talk about Pakistan and the hospitality of its people.” Ambassador Rambally thanked Ambassador Akram for hosting the ceremony and stated that she had personally “learnt a lot from him”. She said that she was humbled by the remarks of the Pakistan UN envoy for her country and the people. She said Pakistan and Saint Lucia already enjoyed wonderful relationship and were actively cooperating at different forums but added that the establishment of formal diplomatic relations would provide an opportunity to further build on the existing relationship.