PM Skerrit and CARICOM Chairman PM Drew Meet Ahead of CARICOM Heads Meeting
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit on Wednesday received a courtesy call from Chairman of CARICOM and Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Terrance Drew, as part of the Chairman’s engagement with Member States ahead of the 50th Regular Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government.
The meeting focused on matters related to regional integration and the critical role CARICOM must continue to play in advancing practical, collective solutions for the people of the Caribbean Community.
Prime Minister Skerrit commended Dr. Drew for undertaking visits to Member States, describing the initiative as “a good gesture” which will help shape the agenda and facilitate more robust discussions and better outcomes at the upcoming meeting in Basseterre from February 24–27.
“It is a challenging time,” Prime Minister Skerrit noted, “but at every opportunity, the Caribbean has overcome its challenges. With a greater sense of unity and solidarity within the Community, we can be even better at overcoming those challenges. We are always stronger together.”
Dr. Drew said his visit was part of an effort to engage leaders face-to-face ahead of the meeting, to ensure that CARICOM’s work remains relevant to the people of the region.
“Really, the objective is to make sure that CARICOM continues to serve our people and to strengthen CARICOM so that our people can benefit even more,” Prime Minister Drew stated.
Discussions also addressed priority issues expected to be on the Heads meeting agenda, including advancing regional integration, strengthening trade and intra-regional relations, and reviewing the functioning of key regional institutions such as the Regional Security System (RSS), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).
Both leaders expressed confidence that the 50th Regular Meeting of Heads of Government will further solidify regional cooperation and reinforce CARICOM’s founding principles at a time when unity and collective action are more important than ever.
