Caribbean foreign ministers hold talks with Trump administration officials

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The State Department said that in keeping with a mandate from the US–Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act, or HR 4939, after being signed last year by former President Barack Obama, the US last month released a “Multi-Year Strategy for Engagement with the Caribbean”.

The US Department of State said it has, in coordination with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), submitted the strategy to the US Congress that establishes a framework for enhancing the security and prosperity of the United States and its Caribbean partners.

“Considered the ‘third border’ of the United States, the Caribbean is a vital part of our efforts to counter organised crime and illicit trafficking, support democracy throughout the Western hemisphere, strengthen energy security, and create jobs through increased trade and investment,” said the State Department.

“A secure and stable Caribbean contributes to a safer and more prosperous United States by securing the US border, protecting US citizens abroad, and increasing opportunities for US exports,” it added.

“The United States will continue to work with the Caribbean region to support commitments in the multi-year strategy; encourage private sector-led growth and job creation; reduce energy costs through diversification, regulatory reform, and public-private partnerships; and maximise partnerships in health and education for more sustainable growth and development in the Western Hemisphere,” the State Department said.

Elrington described as a “very serious matter” budgetary cuts announced by the new Trump Administration that have so far affected some programmes to the region, including the HIV/AIDS project.

“For many years the United States has been a kind of escape valve…when things got tough for us we were able to go to the United States, now that is going to be severely curtailed by the emphasis they are putting on the wall and the border security.

“And of course a reduction in aid, coupled with the fact that they are charging our citizens a tax on the remittances that they send to us, all those things are going to impact us very negatively, and I think it is something the entire Caribbean society will have to look at very carefully,” he added.

Source: The Jamaica Observer