St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew says recent international developments, including geopolitical tensions in the region and external policy decisions affecting Caribbean nationals, ‘remind us of a fundamental truth: None will come to save us. We must save ourselves.
‘Recent public discussions among member states, reflecting differing national perspectives, have unfolded in a way that has attracted regional and international attention,’ said Prime Minister Drew, who from January 1, next year, replaces Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness as the chairman of the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for the next six months.
‘While such differences are not unusual in a diverse Community such as ours, they remind us of the importance of managing our dialogue with care, mutual respect, and a resolute sense of regional responsibility,’ said Drew, who said he is assuming the CARICOM chairmanship with ‘optimism and a deep dedication’ to the ideals of the regional integration movement.
Prime Minister Drew was no doubt making reference to the current tensions within CARICOM sparked by recent comments from Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar that CARICOM ‘is not a reliable partner’ and ‘has lost its way’.