Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister meets with British counterpart

After a meeting with British Minister for South Asia and the Commonwealth at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne said he was grateful for any bilateral support which would be extended from Britain.

In a release, the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry said Browne met with Ahmad on Tuesday. It said during the meeting Ahmad addressed the issue of vaccines and the difficulties being faced by TT in accessing them. He said an announcement was made by the British Prime Minister at the G7 Meeting earlier in June indicating that they were working on sharing their surplus vaccines. Ahmad hoped that the United Kingdom would be able supply vaccines to Trinidad and Tobago soon.

Browne said he would be grateful for any bilateral support that would be extended as he highlighted the considerable challenges being faced by several countries of the Caribbean region where new infections and mortality continue. He noted that the policy of the TT is to utilise vaccines that have been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) only.

He took the opportunity to refer to TT’s red-listing on the UK’s travel list and the negative repercussions for this country. He expressed the hope that TT’s status would be changed soon, as the country progresses to vaccinate more persons, and for the resumption of flights and increased trade in the future.

Ahmad also focused on the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting scheduled to take place in Rwanda. The meeting was postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the covid19 pandemic and a date is still to be determined. He raised the issue of the impending expiry of the term of office of the Commonwealth Secretary-General, a matter which would be discussed at the next meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government.

The issue of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) was also raised. Browne expressed eagerness for a successful COP26 and congratulated Ahmad on the work being done by the UK to ensure positive deliberations and a successful summit, emphasising that the issue of climate change is critical to the Caribbean and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).