Prime Minister Browne in Washington for Meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Prime Minister Browne in Washington for Meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Prime Minister the Hon. Gaston Browne is today in Washington D.C. where he will join his Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) leaders and the Prime Minister of the Bahamas for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in what has been billed as a “clearing the air” encounter.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne, before leaving Antigua on Monday afternoon, said that matters of concern for the Caribbean, ranging from citizenship by investment programmes to looming U.S. tariffs will be on the agenda.

“As far as practicable, we would want to be exempt from any form of tariffication and generally speaking, we just don’t see the pathway to success for economies in this region with any form of tariffication, which ultimately will increase prices and at the same time increase inflation, literally making things more expensive for people,” Prime Minister Browne stated.

The Prime Minister also wants Washington to recognize that Antigua and Barbuda stays out of superpower squabbles.

“The most important thing is for the Secretary of State, as the U. S. Chief Diplomat to understand the critical issues affecting us and to deal with the misconceptions. There are lots of misconceptions about our relationship with Cuba, our relationship with China, our relationship with Venezuela. We want the Secretary to understand that Antigua’s foreign policy position is based on being a friend of all; and that we are too small to have enemies,” he said.

On the issue of Antigua and Barbuda’s citizenship by investment programme, the Prime Minister says CIP does not equate to security threats.

“In terms of certain anxieties that they may have about our CIP programmes, I think that they will have a better understanding of the importance of these programmes to the OECS countries and the fact that these programmes do not represent any significant risk to the United States,” Prime Minister Browne pointed out.

The Cuban Medical Brigade is another major topic on the agenda when Prime Minister Browne sits down in Washington alongside six other CARICOM leaders to discuss these issues with the Secretary of State of the U. S. “The Cuban Medical Brigade has been making significant contributions to the healthcare system in the region and we will highlight this to our American counterpart,” Prime Minister Browne stated.

Prime Minister Browne is accompanied by the country’s Ambassador to the United States Sir Ronald Sanders.

Sir Steadroy Cutie Benjamin is the Acting Prime Minister while Prime Minister Browne is in the United States. He returns to the country on the weekend. (Ends)

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