Foreign Affairs Minister EP Chet Greene has defended Antigua & Barbuda’s policy to add more countries to the list of those that enjoy visa free access to this county.
Antigua & Barbuda recently signed agreements with the Dominica Republic, Colombia and India.
Greene said the agreement with Colombia “envisages increased movement of people between our two countries and goods as well.”
He said Antiguans went in their thousands to Dominican Republic in the 90’s and so a historical link already exists. Greene said what the government is doing, a DR Embassy having been established in Antigua, is to expand trade and tourism.
He announced on radio over the weekend, that the health minister would soon be signing an MOU agreement with the DR.
Greene said Antigua can learn a lot from the resort town on Punta Cana and the Air Services agreement could mean visitors to the DR extending their Caribbean visit to Antigua.
“Its not rocket science, tourism is our core business, why would we have people wanting to come to Antigua on vacation going through all these hoops of visas, to get to a country where they do not have to come. Its in our interest to make it accessible.”
“Somebody coming to Antigua from where ever for a visit, they have options. If a visa becomes a tier of unnecessary impediment then they simply go somewhere else,” he added.
The FM said the agreement will also benefit the Citizenship by Investment Programme but it primarily for tourist purposes.
“We also have our CIP programme which speaks to global citizens and the ease of movement across the globe for the people carrying our national document.
He said the agreement finalised with Indian on Friday is in respect of diplomatic and official passports.
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Once again the People’s Government is to be commended. Antigua Strong!
I’m very happy that our government is being aggressive in making visa-free agreements. Hope we can have a visa-free agreement with China soon.
In fact, we should make Antigua fully open to the world and remove all visa-restrictions.
Of course for high-risk country visitors we can limit their visa free stay in Antigua to 14 days etc.
Antiguans went to the DR in the 90s ANR??????? You mean the 1930s?
So what. Is that the criteria for given visa free access or like every other policy in Antigua is contingent on what side of the bed a minister wakes up on or was dreaming about. All other countries have visa access policies and most depend on levels of overstays. Do we?
Why is the Dominican Republic a non Caricom member given visa free access and Haiti a full member of Caricom not? We have a long standing relationship with Haiti also in fact Chet Green would be a slave all now if it were not for their struggle for independence.
So we pass over Haiti our black brothers and sisters to give the DR people that are ashamed to have dark skin and hide u dear umbrella in the sun visa free access.
Shame.
Between 1993 and 1999 Colombia became the main producer of coca in the world along with cocaine, and one of the major exporters of heroin.
The drug barons of Colombia, such as Pablo Escobar and José Rodríguez Gacha were long considered by authorities to be among the most dangerous, wealthy and powerful men in the world. According to Bloomberg News, as of 2011, studies show that Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine producer.
Some 4% of the world’s population, some 300 million people, has consumed cocaine in his or her life. Approximately 70% of the cocaine consumed globally comes from Colombia.
In 2018, 18.1 million people used the illicit drug worldwide, consuming almost 2,000 tons of cocaine produced in the Andean region, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Almost all cocaine consumed across the globe comes from Colombia, Peru and to a lesser extent Bolivia; countries where coca — the crop used for cocaine — has been common for centuries and is consumed legally by chewing the leaves or making tea.
Antiguan and barbudans should not need any visa for going to any country nor should some countries that have more tides with the Caribbean should need any visa to come here…. Tourism is our main industry and we are not a violent or 3rd world country. So why so we need visas to go places? We should be free. I’m a German tour guide in Antigua. And I’m sure it would be a benefit for me to expand on my travel experience if it was easier for me to travel without needing a visas..
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