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Prime Minister John Briceño returned home this weekend following last week’s CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis, where he emphasized that Belize’s participation was firmly rooted in regional unity rather than acting alone. Speaking with the media upon his return, Prime Minister John Briceño underscored that Belize attended the high-level summit as part of the Caribbean Community, stressing that the country’s voice is strongest when aligned with its regional partners. The Prime Minister explained that CARICOM leaders engaged in wide-ranging discussions covering security cooperation, migration, food resilience, and broader regional priorities affecting member states. Recent summit sessions also included dialogue with international partners and focused on strengthening collaboration across the Caribbean.
John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “We are happy that the Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited and joined us at a meeting to be able to discuss certain issues in the region. And one of them, of course, was the issue of Cuba, about preparing or providing humanitarian support to the Cuban people. And the United States had provided already some assistance. We also, as heads, we continue to discuss about the free movement of people within some of our countries, look at different markets for instance sugar that’s important to us. Now that we’re going to be producing refined sugar, countries like Trinidad and Tobago would no longer be able to say well we have to import refined sugar because we don’t do it in Belize. So these are some of the major issues that we were discussing in the area in CARICOM that I believe that can bring great benefit to Belize.”
Addressing regional tensions, the Prime Minister clarified that the specific issue of Venezuela did not arise in the formal discussions. However, he noted that CARICOM leaders remain united in their long-standing position that the Caribbean must continue to be preserved as a zone of peace. That position reflects the Community’s broader commitment to dialogue, stability, and peaceful resolution of disputes across the region. Briceño also spoke about CARICOM’s concern for the humanitarian situation in Cuba, indicating that leaders discussed the importance of ensuring assistance reaches the Cuban people while maintaining regional stability. CARICOM leaders have similarly acknowledged the need to address the growing humanitarian challenges facing Cuba.
John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “We did not discuss that, he did not bring it up but what has been the position of CARICOM is that we want to ensure that the Caribbean remains as a zone of peace. We don’t want any kind of interventions or anything. We want to be able to see that the Caribbean can continue to be a peaceful area which historically has been a peaceful area. Now with Cuba what we have to do and we hope to be able to to work with the Mexican government to be able to buy food and then to be able to send it and to assist the Cuban people.”
Prime Minister Briceño says Belize will continue working through CARICOM mechanisms as the region navigates shared challenges and opportunities.
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