The Cayman Islands attended the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Belfast this week.

Cayman Islands Representative Eric Bush JP travelled to Belfast to attend the Annual Conference with Deputy Representative Charles Parchment to promote and educate MPs, MLAs of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the general public about the Cayman Islands.

This is the first year that the Cayman Islands has attend the DUP Conference, and the exercise was to assess value of attending a wider scope of political engagement activities, branching out into Ireland.

The visit to Belfast included not only the conference on Saturday 24 November, but also a day of meetings and Government visits on Friday 23 November.

Meetings included a Belfast East Constituency Tour with Gavin Robinson MP, lunch at the Ulster Reform Club with The Friends of the British Overseas Territories, a visit to Bangor with Jim Shannon MP / Councillor Robert Adair.

The Conference included sessions discussing local Government with Gavin Robinson MP, Brexit with Diane Dodds MP, and fringe events on economy, Parliamentarianism, trade and looking towards a low tax future.

At the conference Mr Bush and Mr Parchment met with Arlene Foster MLA and DUP leader, William Humphrey MLA, Councillor Ian Mckray and Jim Shannon MP.

“This has been a great opportunity to meet with DUP Leaders and Members, to remind the Northern Ireland Government and the general public in Northern Ireland that the Cayman Islands is a British Territory and to discuss similar challenges and current affairs relating to Northern Ireland and the Cayman Islands. I was able to speak with DUP Leader, Arlene Foster about Brexit and the similarities between Northern Ireland and The Cayman Islands. I was encouraged to speak to William Humphrey about the potential of setting up a Friends of Cayman chapter within Northern Ireland.”

Cayman has had representation at Conservative and Labour Party Conferences every year, but this year was the first year Cayman has attended the DUP conference in Northern Ireland.

Mr Bush went on to say “The visit has been extremely worthwhile, particularly in view of the new positive connections we have made, we intend to continue to forge new links with Governments outside of Westminster, and look forward to the positive benefits this will bring to the Cayman Islands.”