The Trinidad and Tobago delegation continued its strong showing at the opening of the General Debate of the 80th Session of the UNGA, using day two of the High-Level Week to advance diplomatic outreach and strengthen partnerships across regions.
The Honourable Sean Sobers M.P., Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs and, Mr. Nicholas Morris, Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, led the national delegation to the opening of the General Debate, the centrepiece of the High-Level Week. Featured speakers included His Excellency António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th Session of the General Assembly; and world leaders including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Federative Republic of Brazil and President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America. Also addressing the General Assembly as the first Member State of CARICOM to speak, was Her Excellency Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, President of Suriname.
During the High-Level Debate, Minister Sobers and the delegation interacted and held discussions with His Excellency Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic; the Honourable Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda; Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia and Her Excellency Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Minister Sobers then held a bilateral meeting with Her Excellency, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria. Discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between Trinidad and Tobago and Austria in areas such as healthcare, artificial intelligence, trade and education; as well as exploring opportunities for collaboration with the wider CARICOM region. Prior to the bilateral meeting, Minister Sobers had a brief exchange with His Excellency Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen, Federal President of Austria.
Further underscoring the commitment of Trinidad and Tobago to expand its diplomatic network, Minister Sobers signed a Joint Communiqué with his counterpart, His Excellency Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Benin, which formally established diplomatic relations between Trinidad and Tobago and Benin. Their discussions highlighted shared priorities in strengthening multilateral cooperation, while identifying areas for enhanced collaboration including prospective direct air services between Benin and the Caribbean region.
Mr. Nicholas Morris, Parliamentary Secretary, represented Trinidad and Tobago at the High-Level Meeting of the Like-Minded Group of the Global South, which was hosted by His Excellency Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India. The Parliamentary Secretary highlighted Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment to advancing the common interests of developing countries and called for greater South-South cooperation within the developing world.
Trinidad and Tobago will continue its active engagement throughout the remainder of the UN High-Level Week to advance key diplomatic priorities, strengthen multilateral partnerships and contribute to discussions on issues of regional and international significance for the benefit of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.