The new trade policies that have been implemented or threatened by the new US Administration and which are causing havoc to trade relations worldwide, have reached the attention of the Antigua and Barbuda Cabinet
Government sources say the Cabinet on Wednesday held a discussion on the impact of US policy on trade, economic performance and prices of goods in Antigua and Barbuda that are purchased through US distributors in Miami and elsewhere.
“There was consensus among the Cabinet members that a recession in the United State is likely coming, and that tariff wars never result in any victors. Nevertheless, the Cabinet believes that Antigua and Barbuda can take some defensive actions to include scaling-up farming; growing and utilizing more local products; and, looking to other markets where goods cost less than in the traditional market,” the sources stated.
The Cabinet also examined another shift in US policy, with the recent statements from Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, calling the Cuban Medical Brigade service as a form of ‘human trafficking’.
According to the sources the Cabinet also examined the possibility of restructuring payments to the Cuban Medical Brigade since the United States is claiming that the current system amounts to ‘human trafficking’.
“The Government of Antigua and Barbuda strongly denies that it is engaged in any such unlawful activity; 66 other countries, utilizing the Cuban Medical Brigade to supplement their national, medical, healthcare services, also deny their engagement in any unlawful activity. Geo-politics is evidently having an impact on policy formulation within the region and globally, the Cabinet concluded,” the sources revealed.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet held a discussion on the lawsuit entered in a US Federal Court in Puerto Rico, seeking to determine the uses to which the purchase amount of the mega yacht Alfa Nero was put. The Cabinet noted the delight with which a segment of the political community celebrates the maligning of the leaders of Antigua and Barbuda, joining in suggesting that the sale proceeds of the Alfa Nero were diverted from the Public Treasury.
“The records are clear as submitted to the High Court of Antigua and Barbuda in affidavits that are public. The absence of national pride and the willingness to make false accusations against public officials, in order to score political points, are all very evident in the false reporting which the political party operatives enjoy,” the sources observed.
