News Americas, NEW YORK, NY., Weds. Jan. 22, 2020: As day one of the impeachment of his boss continued into the twilight hours Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo touched down at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica as the US State Department released what it termed a “fact sheet” detailing some of its “shared and strategic interests” with Jamaica.
Amid a bit of drama in the region as two more countries backed the Caribbean Community, CARICOM’s chair, Mia Mottley’s decision to boycott Pompeo’s meeting with Caribbean leaders today, the State Department released what it dubbed: “JAMAICA AND THE UNITED STATES: A MODEL FOR PARTNERSHIP IN THE CARIBBEAN.”
In it, the US State Department said the meeting in Jamaica today is to “discuss the strong U.S.-Jamaica bilateral relationship and opportunities to broaden and deepen our ties.”
It added that “Jamaica’s close partnership with the United States is a model for the Caribbean region.”
The document also listed several key points on the “SHARED VALUES AND STRATEGIC INTERESTS” of the two sides including that the “U.S. Department of the Treasury is establishing a resident advisor to assist the Ministry of Finance with the tendering and financing of large infrastructure projects, such as the proposed Government Oval project.”
The department’s statement also noted that “Jamaica will soon join the U.S. Trade and Development Agency Global Procurement Initiative, which provides $800,000 in technical assistance to promote greater efficiency, transparency, and confidence in Jamaica’s government procurement.”
And that “the United States is providing $5 million to support Disaster Risk Financing, which will make Jamaica more prepared for natural disasters and save lives.”
The statement also noted that the two countries, “together, at the OAS, … have consistently advanced policies in support of human rights and democracy in the region wherever threatened, including in Venezuela and Nicaragua.”
WHO WILL BE AT THE MEETING?
Leaders from The Bahamas, Belize, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia are set to join Jamaica at the meeting with the US Secretary.
BACKGROUND
Pompeo’s visit comes a year after Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness along with the leaders of St. Lucia, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, met with Trump at his Mar-A-Lago Resort in Florida.
Trump had pledged investment in a rare meeting with the five Caribbean leaders who sided with the United States in backing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as head of state.
The nations broke from other members of CARICOM, in their support for Guaido. The organization had officially advocated for talks between President Nicolas Maduro and Guaido, and most of its members had rejected resolutions by the Organization of American States supporting Guaido.
