(Trinidad Express)
Security, economic and climate goals for the US and Caricom were among the issues discussed when Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and regional leaders met with a bipartisan US Congressional delegation yesterday in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The Office of the Prime Minister said in a media release last night that the delegation was led by US Democratic Leader in the House of Representatives Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and included representative Maxine Waters, Ranking Member, Committee on Financial Services; Representative Gregory W Meeks, ranking member, Foreign Affairs Committee; member, Committee on Financial Services; and Republican Amata Coleman Radewagen, vice-chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; member, Natural Resources Committee; member, Foreign Affairs Committee.
Last year Congressman Jeffries led a Congressional delegation visit to Trinidad and Tobago, where he joined US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the 45th Regular Meeting of the Caricom Heads of Government Conference, the release added.
Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne was also present at the meeting.
Rowley had announced at last Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference that he was leaving for Barbados on Friday, where he would continue pursuit of the “Bridgetown Initiative”.
He said a high-level delegation from the US wanted to meet with certain Caricom leaders, and he would be meeting with some “decision-makers and ranking members of the US government, which is currently in transition”.
He said a number of issues would be on the table, not the least of which was the Bridgetown Initiative, which has seen Caricom fighting to be treated more fairly by international financial institutions.
