U.S Secretary State Marco Rubio will meet with the Prime Ministers of Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the Department of State at 3.p.m.
The meeting comes two months after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with a half-dozen Caribbean leaders in his first official visit to the region, more heads of government will get a chance to air their concerns.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has stated that controversial issues will not be discussed during a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Gonsalves believes that the meeting should focus on areas where their interests can be accommodated, such as security, U.S.-made weapons, Coast Guard assets, disaster preparedness, and disaster management. He also emphasizes the importance of open channels for discussing these issues.
Gonsalves is concerned about regional banks’ connections with U.S. financial institutions, which have been threatened by tightened U.S. financial restrictions. This has led to the closure of some Caribbean banks, limiting U.S.-based nationals’ ability to send remittances back home.
Other prime ministers expected to attend the meeting include Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda, Philip Davis of The Bahamas, Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica, Dickon Mitchell of Grenada, Terrance Drew of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Philip J. Pierre of Saint Lucia.
