{"id":41614,"date":"2019-07-02T21:02:43","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T01:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=41614"},"modified":"2019-07-02T21:02:43","modified_gmt":"2019-07-03T01:02:43","slug":"regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"Regional leaders meet to discuss wide ranging agenda at annual summit"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"antig-399367790\" class=\"antig-ecab antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-3185857872\" class=\"antig-before-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/medicalbenefitsscheme\" aria-label=\"mbs ad\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\"   \/><\/a><\/div><p>Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders open their 40<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0annual summit here on Wednesday, hoping to further push along the much heralded CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) that they regard as the region\u2019s best chance of survival in a changing global environment.<\/p><div id=\"antig-3098211950\" class=\"antig-content_5 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ablpag\" aria-label=\"ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 2160w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:150\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:512\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:384\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:768\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"2160\" height=\"1080\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>\u201cBasically we will get an update on who has done what and who has not done,\u201d CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque told a news conference, adding that while there has been some progress \u201cbut it is not as much as we anticipated\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_225507\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Irwin-LaRocque.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-225507 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Irwin-LaRocque.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 382px) 100vw, 382px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Irwin-LaRocque.jpg 382w, https:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Irwin-LaRocque-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Irwin-LaRocque-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Irwin-LaRocque-50x50.jpg 50w, https:\/\/cananewsonline.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Irwin-LaRocque-100x100.jpg 100w\" alt=\"\" width=\"382\" height=\"383\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">CARICOM Secretary General, Irwin LaRocque speaking to reporters (CMC Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The CSME, which allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services across the region, was the main topic of a special CARICOM summit held in Trinidad and Tobago in December last year.<\/p><div id=\"antig-1473357514\" class=\"antig-content_4 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-4053265194\" class=\"antig-content_12 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ablpag\" aria-label=\"ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB (1)\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 2160w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:150\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:512\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:384\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:768\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"2160\" height=\"1080\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>At the end of the special summit, the regional leaders issued the St. Ann\u2019s Declaration that indicated the CSME is still regarded as being the most viable platform to support the region\u2019s growth and development agenda.<\/p><div id=\"antig-372396701\" class=\"antig-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ReggaeInTheParkAntigua\" aria-label=\"lucanio\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:240\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:819\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Among the recommendations contained in the Declaration is for a more formalized, structured mechanism for engagement with the region\u2019s private sector and labour, the expansion of the categories of skilled nationals entitled to move freely and work within the Community to include agricultural workers, beauty service practitioners, barbers and security guards.<\/p>\n<p>It also called on government to accept each other\u2019s issued CARICOM Skills Certificate as well as reinforcing regional security mechanisms and permitting the region\u2019s citizens and companies to participate in public procurement processes across the 15-member grouping<\/p><div id=\"antig-1979311279\" class=\"antig-content_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.com\/antigua\/\" aria-label=\"500X500 (1)\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:150\/h:150\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>LaRocque said that the meeting will also receive an updated report from the Professor Avinash Persaud, who is chairing a 10-member broad-based team, set up last December to advise regional leaders on a regional growth agenda.<\/p>\n<p>The vexing issue of blacklisting by European countries as it pertains to the efforts by Caribbean countries to lure foreign investors through various strategies will be discussed with the host Prime Minister and incoming CARICOM chairman, Allen Chastanet and his Antigua and Barbuda counterpart, Gaston Browne, expected to led off the debate in that area.<\/p><div id=\"antig-294384147\" class=\"antig-content_3 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.antiguabarbudaculinarymonth.com\/\" aria-label=\"CM key_WEB 1300x300_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1301\/h:301\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/CM-key_WEB-1300x300_1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1301\/h:301\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/CM-key_WEB-1300x300_1.jpg 1301w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:69\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/CM-key_WEB-1300x300_1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:237\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/CM-key_WEB-1300x300_1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:178\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/CM-key_WEB-1300x300_1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1301\" height=\"301\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Regional countries have longed condemned\u00a0 Europe for categorising the region as tax havens and LaRocque said that while \u201cwe have strategy in place\u201d to deal with the matter, the CARICOM grouping would continue to denounce the moves by Europe.<\/p><div id=\"antig-2839048806\" class=\"antig-content_6 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>President Jovenel Moise of Haiti is expected to attend the summit and the regional leaders will no doubt want to get a first-hand report on the unfolding situation in the French-speaking CARICOM country, where opposition forces have been staging street demonstrations in support of their efforts to oust him from office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere will be an opportunity for interaction and we have to wait and see what that is,\u201d LaRocque said, noting that CARICOM has in the past \u201cissued a statement calling on all parties to dialogue and also calling for peace and calm and to find a solution to the situation in Haiti.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>President Moise has already said he does not intend to step down and brushed aside suggestions that he is the main cause of the problem in Haiti.<\/p>\n<p>On the issue of Venezuela, LaRocque said that the three leaders appointed by the regional grouping \u2013 St. Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley- will be in attendance at the summit and would report to the wider grouping on their deliberations since Caribbean leaders last met in Trinidad in December.<\/p>\n<p>But he maintained \u201cthe region remains united on the issue of non-interference and non-intervention as well as wanting peaceful dialogue\u201d in the South America country where the opposition forces, backed by the United States and other western countries are trying to remove President Nicolas Maduro from office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe encourage other people on the outside to push for dialogue,\u201d LaRocque said, noting\u00a0 the role being played by Norway in trying to find a resolution to the crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Norway\u2019s Prime Minister Erna Solberg is attending the three-day summit as a guest of the regional leaders and LaRocque hinted that discussions on Venezuela among other matters would be raised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur region cannot afford to see anything like violent regime change taking place in Venezuela. It is going to impact on us all,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>The opening ceremony will be addressed by the United Nations Secretary General, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, and LaRocque said that in his discussions with the regional leaders, issues such as climate change and the September 23 Climate Summit as well as\u00a0 the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) \u00a0one-day high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC);<\/p>\n<p>The CARICOM Secretary General said that several other major matters related to security and regional and foreign relations are also expected to be part of the deliberations.<\/p>\n<div id=\"antig-2011466702\" class=\"antig-in-comments_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/@hadeedmotorsltd\" aria-label=\"Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 1000w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:75\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:192\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1000\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders open their 40th\u00a0annual summit here on Wednesday, hoping to further push along the much heralded CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) that they regard as the region\u2019s best chance of survival in a changing global environment. \u201cBasically we will get an update on who has done what and who has not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regional"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Regional leaders meet to discuss wide ranging agenda at annual summit - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Regional leaders meet to discuss wide ranging agenda at annual summit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders open their 40th\u00a0annual summit here on Wednesday, hoping to further push along the much heralded CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) that they regard as the region\u2019s best chance of survival in a changing global environment. \u201cBasically we will get an update on who has done what and who has not [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-07-03T01:02:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CaricommeetingA20180704LR.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"460\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"345\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Regional leaders meet to discuss wide ranging agenda at annual summit\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-07-03T01:02:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-07-03T01:02:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/\"},\"wordCount\":804,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:460\/h:345\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CaricommeetingA20180704LR.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Regional\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/\",\"name\":\"Regional leaders meet to discuss wide ranging agenda at annual summit - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:460\/h:345\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CaricommeetingA20180704LR.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-07-03T01:02:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-07-03T01:02:43+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:460\/h:345\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CaricommeetingA20180704LR.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:460\/h:345\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CaricommeetingA20180704LR.jpg\",\"width\":\"460\",\"height\":\"345\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Regional leaders meet to discuss wide ranging agenda at annual summit\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Regional leaders meet to discuss wide ranging agenda at annual summit - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Regional leaders meet to discuss wide ranging agenda at annual summit","og_description":"Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders open their 40th\u00a0annual summit here on Wednesday, hoping to further push along the much heralded CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) that they regard as the region\u2019s best chance of survival in a changing global environment. \u201cBasically we will get an update on who has done what and who has not [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2019-07-03T01:02:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":460,"height":345,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CaricommeetingA20180704LR.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"Regional leaders meet to discuss wide ranging agenda at annual summit","datePublished":"2019-07-03T01:02:43+00:00","dateModified":"2019-07-03T01:02:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/"},"wordCount":804,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:460\/h:345\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CaricommeetingA20180704LR.jpg","articleSection":["Regional"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/","name":"Regional leaders meet to discuss wide ranging agenda at annual summit - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:460\/h:345\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CaricommeetingA20180704LR.jpg","datePublished":"2019-07-03T01:02:43+00:00","dateModified":"2019-07-03T01:02:43+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:460\/h:345\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CaricommeetingA20180704LR.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:460\/h:345\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CaricommeetingA20180704LR.jpg","width":"460","height":"345"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-leaders-meet-to-discuss-wide-ranging-agenda-at-annual-summit\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Regional leaders meet to discuss wide ranging agenda at annual summit"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/17313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}