BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, May 19, 2023 (SKNIS) – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, under the leadership of Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, has taken a calculated approach towards strengthening the Federation’s voice on the international stage, all in the interest of further development the country into a sustainable island state.
Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew greets His Majesty King Charles III, Head of State and Head of the Commonwealth at Buckingham Palace while Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak of the UK, Dr. the Hon. Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Hon. Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda and HRH William, Prince of Wales look on.
“We live on an island that currently depends on overseas suppliers – imports of all types of fuel, all of our building materials, etc. Needless to say, we import much more than we export. Therefore, it is also important for the Government representatives who have Ministries to engage our outside partners so that our voices are heard, we are seen, and the interests of our people of St. Kitts and Nevis are represented and considered,” Prime Minister Dr. Drew said on Thursday, May 18, during his Press Conference with Cabinet Ministers.
Additionally, the Honourable Prime Minister said it is imperative for his administration to re-establish relations with the international community.
Far left is UK Foreign Secretary, the Rt. Hon. James Cleverly. High Commissioner H.E. Kevin Isaac introduces President Ruto of Kenya to Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas.
“For the last seven years before we came into service as elected by the people, we have discovered that our relationships on the international scene would have been fractured in multiple ways,” Dr. Drew said.
Prime Minister Dr. Drew noted that it is important for St. Kitts and Nevis to recalibrate its policies through its legislative agenda to facilitate deeper trade relationships within the Caribbean to ensure that citizens and residents benefit from the best available prices of the things we are dependent on.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas attended the Twenty-Sixth Regular Meeting of the CARICOM Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) in Jamaica
“We are part of the Caribbean Community, but I have come to realize that many of us know very little about it. That is why, following the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings held in Washington, DC, in April, I met with Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados, and we have agreed to strengthen relations between our two countries and I expect to be in a position to make an announcement in this regard very shortly. The Republic of Suriname has vast amounts of water and vast amounts of farming lands – yet we have no trade with Suriname – a CARICOM member state that has offered land and water to our farmers. The Cooperative Republic of Guyana is, and I quote: poised to become the world’s fourth-largest offshore oil producer, placing it ahead of Qatar, the United States, Mexico and Norway, and Guyana is also part of CARICOM,” the prime minister added.
Minister of ICT, Hon. Konris Maynard (5th from right) recently attended the 2023 Caribbean Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministers’ Executive Briefing Session in Trinidad and Tobago.
Dr. Drew stated categorically that each time his government engages the world and the Caribbean region, there are tangible benefits for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis to gain.
“We have to re-establish our relationships to ensure that we have the right partnerships to establish our Sustainable Island State. We cannot do it alone, but through partnerships, we can definitely achieve it,” said Prime Minister Dr. Drew.
