Antigua pushes back on Trinidad PM’s claim that CARICOM Is ‘unreliable’

The Antigua and Barbuda government has rejected comments by Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar that the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, is “not a reliable partner” and is operating in a “dysfunctional and self-destructive manner.”

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In a statement issued Sunday, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the remarks required a response grounded in facts and respect, emphasizing CARICOM’s long-standing role in regional cooperation and integration.

Browne dismissed claims that CARICOM has failed Trinidad and Tobago, pointing to trade figures showing that Trinidad and Tobago earned more than US$1.1 billion in foreign exchange from CARICOM trade in 2024. He said the bloc was Trinidad and Tobago’s second-largest export market, exceeded only by the United States, and noted that Port of Spain has consistently recorded the largest trade surplus within the community since CARICOM’s founding in 1973.

He also highlighted the role of the Common External Tariff, under which CARICOM states apply protective duties on extra-regional imports to support Trinidad and Tobago’s manufacturing sector. Browne said CARICOM countries collectively forwent about US$142.7 million in customs revenue last year by sourcing goods from Trinidad and Tobago, describing it as a tangible example of regional solidarity.

Beyond trade, Browne said CARICOM’s reliability extends to regional security cooperation, particularly through intelligence sharing and coordinated law-enforcement initiatives. He said these mechanisms have been essential as Trinidad and Tobago confronts some of the highest levels of organised crime in the Caribbean.

Persad-Bissessar, in remarks issued Saturday, distanced Trinidad and Tobago from a CARICOM Bureau statement responding to a recent U.S. decision to restrict entry of nationals from Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica — a move Washington later suspended following diplomatic representations. She said her government recognises the sovereign right of the United States to act in its own interests and maintains an independent foreign policy.

She accused CARICOM of poor management, internal divisions and inappropriate political interference, warning that unresolved fissures within the organisation could lead to its “implosion.”

Browne rejected claims that Antigua and Barbuda had “bad-mouthed” the United States, saying no evidence supports that assertion and pointing to continued cooperation with Washington on security, immigration and multilateral diplomacy, including at the United Nations and the Organization of American States.

“Respectful dialogue with international partners is not disloyalty, nor is regional consultation subservience,” Browne said, reaffirming Antigua and Barbuda’s commitment to CARICOM and to the principle that small states are stronger when they act together.