Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Sean Sobers, says documentary evidence proves the country was excluded from a CARICOM Heads of Government retreat.
His statement comes following controversy over how the reappointment of CARICOM’s Secretary-General allegedly took place.
Speaking at a Post Cabinet Media Briefing, he pointed to physical documentation distributed to Member States as further proof that Trinidad and Tobago was excluded from the trip to Nevis, where the appointment of CARICOM’s Secretary General took place.
“A listing was provided to all members which articulated essentially the boats that would be leaving St. Kitts to go to Nevis. It articulated the attendees on each of those boats. Trinidad and Tobago was not listed as an attendee on the boat.”
Minister Sobers said that on the morning of the retreat, Member States were informed that only Heads of Government would be allowed to attend, but Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had already left the island, leaving Minister Sobers as the representative for Trinidad and Tobago.
“We eventually received a message confirming the position that Heads of Government only would be allowed to attend, which essentially disinvited Trinidad and Tobago, me being the head of delegation.”
He said Foreign Affairs Ministers were formally redirected away from the retreat and told to attend a separate Community Council meeting instead.
“We were informed as Foreign Ministers that we were to report to the Community Council meeting, which was also being held on the same day as the retreat, and we were not allowed to attend the retreat as heads of delegation.”
The Minister said this exclusion represents a serious departure from established CARICOM procedures.
“This is what we want to find out as a country in terms of enquiring, because it is something that we are concerned of because it essentially departs from the normal procedure and process involved. In any event, the agenda items listed on that day of the retreat did not touch and concern the reappointment or the election of a new Secretary General.”
Minister Sobers reaffirmed that Trinidad and Tobago is not seeking to leave CARICOM.
“We believe that CARICOM is important. However, we believe that in order to make CARICOM relevant, to make CARICOM efficient, to make CARICOM effective, that there are certain changes, fundamental changes that have to be made.”