By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE bilateral relationship between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago remains strong as the two countries pledged to commit to deepening that relationship.
This was affirmed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who met with Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne at the US State Department in Washington, DC, on Monday.
On Wednesday, a transcript of the meeting was made available on the US Embassy’s website.
Blinken said it was a pleasure having Dr Browne visit as it created an opportunity to deepen “already strong bilateral relationship between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.”
He said, “We are working together in so many ways every day in our own hemisphere, working to continue to strengthen democracy, to forge ahead on building even greater economic prosperity, working on challenges of regional security.”
With more than 10,000 US citizens visiting Trinidad and Tobago annually for either tourism or business, Blinken is hoping that that figure increases.
He also said, “We have a very vibrant diaspora here in the United States which we very much welcome.”
Blinken mentioned the meeting with Caricom countries during the recent Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles saying that US officials were instructed by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to follow up on the discussion and the initiatives that came out of that meeting.
“This is a good opportunity to do that,” he told Dr Browne.
Dr Browne told Blinken, “It’s great to be here and I’m looking forward to our discussions and to working with you to further cement a well-established and productive, fruitful relationship between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States of America.
He added, “You’re right. We’ve been working closely on a number of critical issues. Some of the priorities for the Caribbean community are shared with the United States of America – energy security, food security, improving our access to financing for development, and recognizing that the United States and Trinidad and Tobago go back hundreds of years.
“And we share a significant diaspora, but we also share principles in common – respect for democracy, a desire for peace in our region, and to see countries working more closely together.”
Dr Browne said he looked forward to discussions and putting the commitment established at the recent Summit of the Americas further to action.
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs also on Wednesday stated that topics discussed were security, energy security, access to international development financing, democracy, security and peace in the region, migration and Haitian situation.
They also discussed exploring measures to reduce the flow of illegal guns into Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean region.
Great! So can the Minister tell us when can we see a change of language as it relates to the US travel advisory for US citizens traveling to T&T? Or was this just another waste of time PR stunt by the Minister just for a photo opp?