The Antigua and Barbuda government Sunday disputed recent comments by the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar that the 15-member regional integration grouping, CARICOM, ‘is not a reliable partner at this time’ and that that it cannot continue to operate in ‘this dysfunctional and self-destructive manner as it is a grave disservice to the people of the Caribbean’.
In a statement, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said that the recent comments by Persad-Bissessar regarding CARICOM and the position taken by Antigua and Barbuda ‘merit a measured response grounded in facts, respect, and the long history of Caribbean cooperation.
‘Antigua and Barbuda has never questioned the sovereign right of any CARICOM member to conduct its bilateral relations as it sees fit. Equally, no member should question the legitimacy of another CARICOM state engaging responsibly, transparently, and respectfully with international partners, including the United States, on matters that directly affect its citizens,’ Browne said.
He dismissed the assertions that CARICOM is an ‘unreliable partner’ to Trinidad and Tobago as difficult to reconcile with the economic record.
According to the Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, in 2024 alone, Trinidad and Tobago earned more than US $1.1 billion in foreign exchange from trade with CARICOM, comprising approximately US$784.7 million in domestic exports and US$501.3 million in re-exports to CARICOM states.
He said CARICOM was Trinidad and Tobago’s second-largest export market, exceeded only by the United States.
‘That trade has not been balanced. Trinidad and Tobago recorded the largest merchandise trade surplus within CARICOM, and it remains the only member state to have maintained a net positive trade balance with the Community consistently since the inception of CARICOM in 1973,’ Browne said.
He said that this outcome has been facilitated in part by the Common External Tariff (CET), under which CARICOM states, including Antigua and Barbuda, apply protective tariffs on extra-regional imports to support Trinidad and Tobago’s manufacturing sector.
‘In 2024, CARICOM countries collectively forwent approximately US$142.7 million in customs revenue as a result of sourcing goods from Trinidad and Tobago under CET protection, an economic sacrifice borne by Caribbean consumers in the spirit of regional solidarity.’
The Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister said that CARICOM’s reliability extended well beyond trade.
‘Trinidad and Tobago faces some of the highest levels of organised crime in the Caribbean, and regional cooperation through CARICOM security mechanisms, intelligence sharing, and coordinated law-enforcement initiatives has been an essential pillar of the response. Antigua and Barbuda, like other member states, has consistently supported that collective security effort.’
In her statement on Saturday, Persad-Bissessar said that ‘ an organisation that chooses to disparage our greatest ally the United States but lends support to the Maduro narco-government headed by a dictator who has imprisoned and killed thousands of civilians and opposition members as well as threatened two CARICOM members is one that has clearly lost its way’.
She distanced her country from a statement issued by the CARICOM Bureau with regards to the United States decision to fully restrict nationals from Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda from entering the North American country.
‘I acknowledge the right of the Bureau of the Conference to express its views. However, the Trinidad and Tobago government maintains its own position on the matter and recognises the sovereign right of the United States to make decisions in furtherance of its best interests.
‘I hold the view that every sovereign state is responsible for its foreign and domestic policy choices and must be prepared to accept the concomitant consequences. The exercise of power by the United States of America to advance their best interests must therefore be seen as a measured response to the conduct of other nations in the realities of the current environments that they place themselves in,’ Persad-Bissessar said.
Washington has since suspended that decision following representation from the two CARICCOM countries.
In her statement, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar her government ‘does not bind itself to the political ideologies or foreign, economic and security policies of any other CARICOM member government.
‘Member governments are free to make decisions in the best interests of their citizens,’ she said, adding ‘CARICOM is not a reliable partner at this time.
‘The fact is that beneath the thin mask of unity, there are many widening fissures that if left unaddressed will lead to its implosion. The organisation is deteriorating rapidly due to poor management, lax accountability, factional divisions, destabilising policies, private conflicts between regional leaders and political parties and the inappropriate meddling in the domestic politics of member states. That’s the plain truth. ‘
Persad-Bissessar said that CARICOM cannot continue to operate in ‘this dysfunctional and self-destructive manner as it is a grave disservice to the people of the Caribbean.
‘The Caribbean community must face the rot within the organisation with transparency and honesty. Hiding behind the glibness of diplomacy, fake sophistication and false narratives is self-defeating’.
She warned of ‘repercussions’ for supporting supporting Maduro, adding ‘we must all live with the consequences of our actions.
But Prime Minister Browne said that the Caribbean Community is a partnership rooted in ‘shared history, shared bloodlines, shared struggle for independence, and a shared determination that small states are stronger when they act together’.
He said Antigua and Barbuda was taking the opportunity to ‘categorically’ reject ‘the unsubstantiated assertion that its leaders have ‘bad-mouthed’ the United States.
Last week, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar in a warning to her fellow citizens spoke against ‘bad-talking’ Washington when thousands of Trinidad and Tobago nationals have US visas ‘because people like to go and visit the US’ and that this country remained in partnership with the US and more so if Trinidad and Tobago were to be attacked, ‘who will stand up to defend us?’ .
‘Careful you don’t end up like Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica.bad-mouthing the US and guess what happened.all their visas rescinded now,’ she told those attending the ruling United National Congress (UNC) Christmas Supper at the Diplomatic Centre.
But Browne said that ‘no evidence has been offered because none exists,’ to support the statement by the Trinidad and Tobago leader.
‘On the contrary, Antigua and Barbuda maintains a record of close collaboration with the United States, including constructive engagement on security matters, immigration, and consistent cooperation in multilateral fora such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States.
‘Respectful dialogue with international partners is not subservience; nor is regional consultation disloyalty. Antigua and Barbuda will continue to engage the United States responsibly and transparently in full cooperation, while remaining fully committed to CARICOM and to the dignity, sovereignty, and mutual respect that define Caribbean integration.
‘That balanced approach has served our region well for decades. It should not now be diminished by rhetoric that divides where facts demonstrate the value of interdependence,’ Browne added.