PM Browne Defends Antigua and Barbuda’s CARICOM Stance, Rejects Claims by T&T Leader
Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, has issued a firm but measured response to recent remarks by Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, reaffirming his country’s commitment to CARICOM while defending its right to engage transparently with international partners.
In a statement released on December 21, Browne rejected assertions that CARICOM is an unreliable partner, pointing instead to decades of economic cooperation, regional solidarity, and shared security efforts that continue to benefit member states across the Caribbean.
See full statement here:
"Statement by Prime Minister Gaston Browne on the remarks of Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Kamla Persad Bissessar
St John’s, December 21… Recent comments by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago regarding CARICOM and the position taken by Antigua and Barbuda merit a measured response grounded in facts, respect, and the long history of Caribbean cooperation.
Antigua and Barbuda has never questioned the sovereign right of any CARICOM member to conduct its bilateral relations as it sees fit. Equally, no member should question the legitimacy of another CARICOM state engaging responsibly, transparently, and respectfully with international partners, including the United States, on matters that directly affect its citizens.
Assertions that CARICOM is an unreliable partner to Trinidad and Tobago are difficult to reconcile with the economic record.
In 2024 alone, Trinidad and Tobago earned more than US $1.1 billion in foreign exchange from trade with CARICOM, comprising approximately US $784.7 million in domestic exports and US $501.3 million in re-exports to CARICOM states. CARICOM was Trinidad and Tobago’s second-largest export market, exceeded only by the United States.
That trade has not been balanced. Trinidad and Tobago recorded the largest merchandise trade surplus within CARICOM, and it remains the only member state to have maintained a net positive trade balance with the Community consistently since the inception of CARICOM in 1973.
This outcome has been facilitated in part by the Common External Tariff, under which CARICOM states—including Antigua and Barbuda—apply protective tariffs on extra-regional imports to support Trinidad and Tobago’s manufacturing sector. In 2024, CARICOM countries collectively forwent approximately US $142.7 million in customs revenue as a result of sourcing goods from Trinidad and Tobago under CET protection—an economic sacrifice borne by Caribbean consumers in the spirit of regional solidarity.
CARICOM’s reliability has extended well beyond trade. Trinidad and Tobago faces some of the highest levels of organised crime in the Caribbean, and regional cooperation through CARICOM security mechanisms, intelligence sharing, and coordinated law-enforcement initiatives has been an essential pillar of the response. Antigua and Barbuda, like other member states, has consistently supported that collective security effort.
The Caribbean Community is a partnership rooted in shared history, shared bloodlines, shared struggle for independence, and a shared determination that small states are stronger when they act together.
Finally, Antigua and Barbuda categorically rejects the unsubstantiated assertion that its leaders have “bad-mouthed” the United States. No evidence has been offered because none exists.
On the contrary, Antigua and Barbuda maintains a record of close collaboration with the United States, including constructive engagement on security matters, immigration, and consistent cooperation in multilateral fora such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States.
Respectful dialogue with international partners is not subservience; nor is regional consultation disloyalty. Antigua and Barbuda will continue to engage the United States responsibly and transparently in full cooperation, while remaining fully committed to CARICOM and to the dignity, sovereignty, and mutual respect that define Caribbean integration.
That balanced approach has served our region well for decades. It should not now be diminished by rhetoric that divides where facts demonstrate the value of interdependence."
