Prime Minister Gaston Browne is reiterating his call for the Caribbean region to remain a Zone of Peace in the face of built-up military assets in parts of the region.
Speaking at the official launch of the countdown to Antigua and Barbuda’s hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) next year, PM Browne made the call against the backdrop of heightened American military build-up in the Southern Caribbean.
The prime minister voiced grave concerns that any military activity in the region will have a negative impact on the overall security of the region as well as having an impact on cost of living for Antiguans and Barbudans and others in the region.
“Any conflict would hit small economies hardest—disrupting airlift and shipping, and straining food security given the region’s heavy import dependence. We recalled that the Russia-Ukraine war’s knock-on effect—price spikes approaching 10% despite the conflict being outside the hemisphere. That is to illustrate how devastating a ‘regional’ conflict here in the Caribbean would be,” he remarked.
He stressed this stance is ‘non-aligned and principled’, and that it is grounded in the ‘national interest’ of Antigua and Barbuda and human solidarity. “If there are consequences for ‘standing on truth, so be it—history will absolve us’.
PM Browne also made a call for peace, justice, and equity. Humanity, he reminded, is fundamentally one family; ‘discrimination or aggression against any nation undermines all’.
There are indications that the US is contemplating military aggression against Venezuela with the ultimate goal being regime change. US President Donald Trump has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to undertake covert operations within Venezuela.
