Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 13, 2016 (SKNIS): The third in a series of conferences on the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme aimed at continuing the dialogue and partnership between the government, service providers and developers and other key stakeholders in the programme was held on Monday, September 12 at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel.
“This forum represents the third national effort in engaging our stakeholders in what is happening with our CBI Programme,” said Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris. “We have deliberately engaged in this consultative process because we believe in transparency, accountability and openness. Equally important, we have done this because we value constructive partnership that will take all stakeholders of which our service providers and developers are among the most important.”
The previous two conferences were held on July 30 and October 16, 2015, at the Ocean Terrace Inn and the St. Kitts Marriott Resort respectively.
Prime Minister Harris noted that for the last 18 months the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has worked hard to redeem the CBI Programme. This is apparent through its rebranding and vision approach, which focus on providing service and maintaining relationships at the highest level: the ‘platinum standard’.
“We are open for legitimate business [and] we have been moving in a deliberate and progressive manner since February 2015, carefully looking at the Citizenship Unit in terms of the internal operations and deficiencies,” said Dr. Harris. “We have examined our international brand positioning and all relationships that presently make up and contribute to the CBI as an important driver for our economy. As the pioneer of Citizenship by Investment Programmes, we hold the distinction of a nation with vision capable of developing economic programmes, which the world values and that other nations over time have come to emulate. We confidently announce that we are continuing this legacy.”
Dr. Harris mentioned three steps that were crucial in redeeming the CBI Programme, namely the recalibration of relationships with the European Union, the United States and Canada, which he said are at an all-time high; the implementation of well needed reforms; and the development of a marketing strategy to ensure the sustainability and competiveness of the programme.
Prime Minister Harris encouraged the participants to offer the very best of service, as they seek to attract the very best of the client base. He noted that this is what the platinum standard requires.
