Caricom: Venezuela crisis not a game

THE Venezuela crisis is not a chess game but a humanitarian crisis, said Caricom chairman St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris.

On Wednesday in St Lucia he updated Caricom heads on the efforts of a delegation of himself, Dr Keith Rowley and Bajan leader Mia Mottley to help resolve the Venezuela impasse.

“Venezuela is our neighbour, and our member states are being affected by the crisis. For us, this is not a geopolitical game of chess,” Harris said. “It is a situation creating hardships for millions of people right on our doorstep, fostering instability in our already fragile economies and exacerbating criminal activity.”

He said Caricom aims to be an honest broker, advocating dialogue and non-interference.

“Our engagement in the attempts at resolving the situation in Venezuela has clearly demonstrated that there is a role for us to play. It also is now quite clear that our principled stance enunciated from the outset and our approach is now being accepted by other parties.”

Harris said the stakes are high for the region.

“The undermining of the Caribbean as a zone of peace, disruption of tourism and trade, uncontrolled migration with risks to health and socio-economic problems in member states, compounded by illegal trade in arms, cannot be whisked away.”

Also at the opening ceremony were UN Secretary General António Guterres and Norway Prime Minister Erna Solberg, both of whom spoke about climate change. Guterres invited governments and the private sector to present plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 at his Action Climate Summit in 2020. He viewed Caribbean countries as test beds for innovative climate action such as renewable energy.

Guterres later met with heads of government at a working dinner. Ahead of the UN General Assembly in September, this gave heads a chance to discuss issues affecting the Caribbean such as financing for resilience-building.

Solberg also attended the opening ceremony and will participate in Friday’s plenary session. A strong advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she is expected to discuss matters of mutual interest to Norway and the Caribbean such as climate change and the blue economy, which involves the "sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem."