US-Caricom relations legally strong – St Vincent PM
As there continues to be widespread speculations and uncertainly around the world over foreign policies and international agenda of the United States of America under its new Administration, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, believes that the path for continued relations
St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves
between the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the US is legally binding.
Gonsalves was at the time speaking with local reporters on the sidelines of the 28th Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown, where he was asked about the future of Caricom-US relations under the Donald Trump Administration.
While St Vincentian Prime Minister refrained from commenting on the policies of the new US Government, he asserted that a recent law under the Barrack Obama Administration ensures continued bilaterals between the North American nation and the Caribbean region.
“All I know is that in Congress, just before the end of the Obama presidency, a law was passed to deepen engagement between the United States and the Caribbean, and that is the legal position. I think we (should) just proceed with that,” the regional leader posited.
According to the Prime Minister, Caricom and the US have both bilateral and multilateral relationships with the two being members of organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and the Organisation of American States (OAS).
To this end, Gonsalves posited that collaborations will continue between the two, particularly in light of their geographical locations.
“Most of tourists come from the United States, we have a lot of our nationals go there to study, we import a lot of goods and services from the United States and they buy from us.
We also engage with them security matters, so there is a whole host of practical issues… The United States of America is located where it is and we are where we are geographically; you can’t take up St Vincent and the Grenadines and carry to it to Vladivostok,” the St Vincentian leader explained.
Nevertheless, the Prime Minister indicated that the future of Caricom-US relations is up for discussions during the two-day Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Caricom Heads of Government being held in Guyana.
