Prime Minister Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit described his recent engagement with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “extremely positive” and “constructive.”
As previously reported by DNO, on Tuesday, May 6, in Washington D.C., the Prime Minister took part in a high-level meeting alongside other leaders from the OECS and the Bahamas, where they held discussions with the senior U.S. diplomat. The Office of the Prime Minister stated in a press release that the primary focus was on reaffirming their shared commitment to jointly tackling security issues within the Caribbean region.
“Security was high on the agenda,” Prime Minister Skerrit remarked. “There is a commitment on the part of the United States government to help us and to work with us on the issue of security.”
The talks also addressed matters related to illegal migration. According to the release, the Prime Minister emphasized that Dominica’s migration policies are aligned with those of the United States but called for increased facilitation of legal migration pathways.
“We are not at variance with the United States in respect to their immigration policies,” said Prime Minister Skerrit. “But we also urged the Secretary of State, and of course, by extension, the U.S. government to ensure that they continue to facilitate legal migration by the provision of visas to students, to visitors, the various work programmes. And of course, we believe that this will continue. We did not leave the meeting with the view that this will not continue.”
The OECS leaders also reaffirmed their ongoing support for the Cuban medical brigades, which have played a critical role in providing healthcare services across the Caribbean, stated the report.
“We explained to him how this is operating within our countries. And I believe he understands that. So I do not see any threat to the Cuban medical programme, which we all have within our countries,” Prime Minister Skerrit explained.
Addressing concerns raised by the U.S. regarding Caribbean countries’ ties with China, Skerrit defended Dominica’s long-standing relationship with Beijing.
“China has been… and continues to be a major ally in our economic and social development. We have always maintained our relationship with China in a very transparent way. What China is doing for Dominica is open for everybody to see, whether it’s the construction of schools or the hospital or the roads or support to farmers and small businesses or housing…”
“China will continue to be a very strong and steadfast friend of Dominica. I don’t think our relationship with any country should be based on any other country’s relationship with that country,” he added.
Although not on the official agenda, the OPM shared that the leaders of the OECS also discussed the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme. Skerrit stated that the participating leaders assured Mr. Rubio that their CBI schemes would remain transparent, secure, and in line with international standards.
“I think it was a very, very constructive engagement. I think we should expect greater collaboration between the United States and the Caribbean, listening to the Secretary of State and his approach to things,” Prime Minister Skerrit concluded.
The PM relayed that during the discussions, Secretary Rubio also announced U.S. support for Caribbean nations in enhancing early warning systems and disaster response capabilities ahead of the hurricane season.
Listen to Prime Minister Skerrit’s full updates: