Prime Minister Gaston Browne traveled to Washington D.C. on Monday to engage in high-level discussions with United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, taking place today, (Tuesday).
Prime Minister Browne is among seven Caribbean leaders who will be engaged in those talks. The others are the leaders of St Kitts Nevis, St Lucia, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and The Bahamas.
The discussions will focus on a broad range of issues, including tariffs of 10 per cent imposed on goods from countries of the region, including Antigua and Barbuda, as well as Washington’s concerns about Citizenship by Investment Programmes operated by five OECS states.
The discussions are also expected to focus on geo-economic and geo-political alliances, as the U.S. seeks to reshape global trade and the Post-World War II order.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders, said he expects to talks with Secretary Rubio to be ‘free and frank’ recognizing that Antigua and Barbuda wishes to maintain strong relations with the US.
“Our wish at the end of these talks, is to have a clearer understanding of our wish for stronger relations with the United States, but a beneficial one; one that benefits us,” he stated.
As is customary, Prime Minister Browne met with the heads of the security forces before departing the island Monday afternoon.
