Gaston Browne: Caricom major trade partner with Trinidad and Tobago

Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne -

ANTIGUA and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said assertions by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar that Caricom is an unreliable partner to TT are difficult to reconcile with the economic record, as TT earned over a billion dollars US from Caricom in 2024 alone.

He was responding to remarks by the Prime Minister where she called Caricom a “unreliable partner” and a “dysfunctional and self-destructive” organisation.

In a statement on December 21, Browne said, “TT earned more than US$1.1 billion ($7.5 billion) in foreign exchange from trade with Caricom, comprising approximately US$784.7 million ($5.3 billion) in domestic exports and US$501.3 million ($3.4 billion) in re-exports to Caricom states. Caricom was TT’s second-largest export market, exceeded only by the US.

“That trade has not been balanced. TT 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 this outcome had been facilitated in part by the Common External Tariff, under which Caricom states, including Antigua and Barbuda, apply protective tariffs on extra-regional imports to support TT’s manufacturing sector.

“In 2024, Caricom countries collectively forwent approximately US$142.7 million ($968.6 million) in customs revenue as a result of sourcing goods from TT under CET protection, an economic sacrifice borne by Caribbean consumers in the spirit of regional solidarity.”

The 2024 Review of the Economy for TT said for the first nine months of fiscal 2024, TT recorded a balance of trade surplus of $4,915 million with Caricom countries over the nine-month period ending June 2024. It said TT’s exports to Caricom countries from October 2023 to June 2024 were $5,947.5 million.

Browne said TT’s response to crime was also supported by Caricom, as TT faces some of the highest levels of organised crime in the Caribbean.

“Regional co-operation 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.”

He said 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.

Browne said Antigua and Barbuda has never questioned the sovereign right of any Caricom nation 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 US, on matters that directly affect its citizens.”

He said Antigua and Barbuda categorically rejects the unsubstantiated assertion that its leaders have “bad-mouthed” the US, as stated by Persad-Bissessar.

“No evidence has been offered because none exists. On the contrary, Antigua and Barbuda maintains a record of close collaboration with the US, including constructive engagement on security matters, immigration, and consistent cooperation in multilateral fora such as the UN and the Organization of American States.

Browne said Antigua and Barbuda will continue to engage the US responsibly and transparently in full cooperation, while remaining fully committed to Caricom and to the dignity, sovereignty, and mutual respect that define Caribbean integration.

“Respectful dialogue with international partners is not subservience; nor is regional consultation disloyalty. 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.”