(Antigua Observer) Foreign Affairs Minister EP Chet Greene used a recent forum with the US Secretary of State to push for Covid-19 vaccines for Caricom countries, including Antigua and Barbuda.
Greene was addressing a virtual meeting between Caricom foreign affairs ministers and Antony Blinken.
He reminded attendees that the US has a beneficial relationship with Caricom countries in crucial areas including trade, curbing drug trafficking, halting money laundering and organised crime, and as a peaceful nearby location posing no terrorist threat.
Furthermore, he said the US also enjoys a perennial trade surplus with Caricom. Last year, despite the pandemic, this trade surplus was US$6.5 billion, while official development assistance to Caricom countries is less than one percent of US aid worldwide.
This situation, according to Greene, has led to the participation of other nations in Caricom economies, with the provision of soft loans and grants for needed infrastructural development projects.
