BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, March 28, 2019 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – CARICOM Chairman and Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, is in Quito, Ecuador, for high level talks with the International Contact Group on Venezuela.
The International Contact Group, established by the European Union (EU), aims to promote a common understanding and a more concerted approach among key international actors on the situation in Venezuela aiming at a peaceful and democratic solution to the current crisis. It is also helping to create conditions for holding new “credible” elections in Venezuela in line with the country’s constitution.
The International Contact Group comprises 11 countries, namely: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Holland, the United Kingdom, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Uruguay.
Prime Minister Harris is supported at the talks by CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque and a technical team from the CARICOM Secretariat.
The CARICOM Chairman and Secretary-General were invited by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and Ecuadorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Valencia.
At the 30th Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM on February 26-27, 2019, Heads of Government, having considered Caucus Paper INS/HGC/2019/30/15, entitled ‘The Situation in Venezuela’, agreed for the Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, “to meet with interested parties in pursuit of an inclusive approach to attaining a peaceful resolution of the Venezuela crisis.”
Prime Minister Harris’ proactive, quiet and conciliatory diplomacy on the situation in Venezuela has been highly commended by his peers and pundits of international affairs.