Foreign Affairs Minister, E. P Chet Greene, has made a vigorous defence of the country’s Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) in wake of new threats from the United States regarding possible visa restrictions.
Speaking on Monday at a function at the University of the West Indies FIC, Minister Greene said Antigua and Barbuda will be ‘fighting like hell’ to defend the CIP programme. “They want to impose travel restrictions on us; for what reason, God only knows. We will not be bullied; our foreign policy is one of principle,” he declared.
On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia were identified in the memo, which was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and circulated to U.S. diplomatic missions over the weekend. The memo reveals that the Trump administration is reviewing possible visa bans or other travel restrictions targeting these countries and others.
Minister Greene noted that the CIP programme brings much benefits to Antigua and Barbuda and that it is operated with integrity.
“We can defend the CIP; anybody in this room, we are all senior civil servants, anyone of us can defend the CIP. We know that Charmaine Donovan and her staff are all people of impeccable character and that this nation’s integrity is not to be questioned where their work is concerned,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, The US Embassy in Barbados has not confirmed or denied media reports that Antigua and Barbuda and three other countries that offer Citizenship By Investment programmes are among 36 nations named in a leaked US State Department memo outlining potential new visa restrictions.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dr. Clarence Pilgrim, has reported that both he and Foreign Affairs Minister, Greene, held discussions with the US Embassy and that the Embassy could not provide any additional information based on the media reports. “They neither denied nor confirmed the media reports. All they said is that they will get back to us,” Ambassador Dr. Pilgrim revealed.
Chief Executive Officer of the Citizenship by Investment Unit, Charmaine Donovan, stated that her investigations have confirmed that the Antigua and Barbuda government has not been formally notified by the US government about any proposed changes to the visa requirements for nationals.
Antigua and Barbuda has always maintained that countries previously banned by the US such as North Korea and Iran, would automatically be barred from attaining CIP passports. Additionally, it pointed out that all Antigua and Barbuda passport holders must obtain a visa prior to entry into the United States. This, the government suggests, provides the US with a screening mechanism to determine who enters the country.
The Caribbean nations in question have long maintained that their CBI programmes are legitimate development strategies that include strong due diligence and security checks.
According to The Post, the memo gives listed governments 60 days to meet newly defined benchmarks. An initial action plan detailing how they intend to meet the requirements must be submitted by 8:00 a.m. next Wednesday.
A primary concern cited in the memo is the sale of citizenship without a requirement for residency. It also raises other issues, including reported instances of “anti-American activity” by nationals from the countries listed.
However, the memo also leaves room for diplomatic negotiation, noting that countries willing to accept third-country nationals removed from the U.S., or enter into a “safe third country” agreement, may be able to ease Washington’s concerns.
The list includes 25 African countries as well as several from Central Asia and the Pacific. It expands on a June 4 presidential proclamation that imposed full travel bans on citizens of 12 countries—Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—and placed partial restrictions on another seven: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The full list of nations identified in the memo includes: Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Benin; Bhutan; Burkina Faso; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Côte d’Ivoire; Democratic Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Ethiopia; Egypt; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Kyrgyzstan; Liberia; Malawi; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Sao Tome and Principe; Senegal; South Sudan; Syria; Tanzania; Tonga; Tuvalu; Uganda; Vanuatu; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.
The White House has not issued a formal response. A spokesperson for the State Department declined to comment, telling The Washington Post that the agency does not discuss internal communications.
