Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC has reaffirmed Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms.
In a statement to mark the 24th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar said this country stands with the global community in solemn remembrance of the nearly 3,000 innocent lives lost. The Prime Minister recalled that among those killed in the attacks were fourteen T&T nationals.
“Trinbagonians who went to work that morning at the World Trade Center, never to return home. Their sacrifice is a painful reminder that terrorism recognises no borders, no creed, and no humanity. On this 24th anniversary, on behalf of the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago, I honour their memory, extend prayers to their families, and reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the people and Government of the United States of America..”
The Prime Minister said while the world has changed since September 11th 2001, the threat of terrorism endures.
She reflected on her previous term in office when Trinidad and Tobago had taken concrete steps to address terrorism on the international stage.
“In 2014, during my first tenure as Prime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago co-sponsored United Nations Security Council Resolution S/2014/688 against foreign terrorist fighters, strengthening the global framework to dismantle terror networks and choke off the systems that sustain them.”
Now in her second term, the Prime Minister pledged continued vigilance.
“Today, as Prime Minister once more, I reaffirm my Government’s resolve to confront this menace in all its evolving forms. In our hemisphere, terrorism now also takes the face of narco-trafficking, arms smuggling, and transnational organised crime. These modern scourges are weapons of terror that destroy lives, destabilise societies, and rob our children of their future.”
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar affirmed that Trinidad and Tobago remains committed to working “shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States and other international and regional partners to defeat these threats.”
In closing, she said, “May the souls of the victims of September 11 rest in eternal peace. May God comfort their families, and may He continue to bless and protect Trinidad and Tobago, and all nations and peoples who have endured the inhumanity of terrorism, even as together we condemn its barbarism and commit ourselves to eradicating it from our world.”