On November 14, 2023, Senior officials from Barbados and the United States of America held talks, which were led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, the Honourable Kerrie D. Symmonds and United States of America Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Ms. Barbara Feinstein.Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Honourable Kerrie D. Symmonds (middle right) and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Ms. Barbara Feinstein (middle left) flanked from left to right by: Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Her Excellency Linda S. Taglialatela and Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Ms. Donna Forde (Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade)Deputy Assistant Secretary Feinstein raised the issue of cyber security and extended an offer of assistance to Barbados. Senior Minster Symmonds expressed Barbados’ gratitude for the offer and it was agreed that this is an issue that both sides can work together on going forward. In relation to security and crime, the Deputy Assistant Secretary additionally expressed that the United States is taking the issue of firearms tracking seriously and has begun to implement measures to tackle the rising issues of trafficking of firearms and gun crimes in the region. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign TradeThe talks focused on improving the strong relationship between Barbados and the US through the recently launched Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (APEP) of which Barbados is a founding member. Senior Minister Symmonds highlighted that APEP is a great first step in providing an opportunity to nurture the commercial relationship between Barbados and the United States of America (USA). This is by allowing greater access to American markets creating economic impetus in Barbados, specifically in the trade of services. The talks also discussed Haiti, correspondent banking and de-risking and migration issues. Senior Minster Symmonds and Deputy Assistant Secretary Feinstein both reiterated appreciation of the longstanding and productive relationship between Barbados and the United States of America and the need to continue to work together on issues of mutual concern and benefit. (MFAFT)Author: Government of BarbadosThe US-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis (PACC 2030) was also on the agenda for discussion as both Senior Minister Symmonds and Deputy Assistant Secretary Feinstein praised the work being done under the 4 pillars of PACC 2030. However, they both agreed that more works still needs to be done to achieve the goals of PACC 2030 of advancing climate adaptation and resilience and clean energy cooperation through 2030.
