The two countries are the final two independent Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to join the regional alliance, after St Lucia acceded earlier this year.

The two countries’ accession was made official at the recent ALBA Summit in Havana over the weekend.

“An integration movement that today can be considered a culture within the Caribbean and the Americas,” Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell said of the grouping during his visit to Havana for the occasion. “Integration movements that are created solely to aid in the development of the region for the benefit of its peoples.”

“Integration movements that seek to encourage and promote cooperation in the south that are people-oriented, rather than depend on the traditional north-south mechanisms that are not always geared towards the development of the region and its peoples – especially the poor and working class,” Mitchell said.