Biden vows to ‘intensify’ relations with Caribbean nations during Americas Summit meeting
President Joe Biden is promising to “intensify” relations between the United States and the Caribbean, telling leaders during the Ninth Summit of the Americas there are ways the two groups “can maybe undo some of the damage done the previous four years“ under his predecessor Donald Trump.
“My intention is to intensify the relationship with the Caribbean. And I mean that sincerely,” Biden said after he came to a meeting between Vice President Kamala Harris and leaders of the 15-member Caribbean Community, known as CARICOM, and the Dominican Republic.
“You’re critically important to us in every way, and I hope we’re important to you,” he said.
Biden has been under heavy criticism since coming into office for not having an effective Caribbean policy, and not working hard enough to repair the damage done to U.S.-Caribbean relations under Trump. The latter was accused of implementing a “divide and conquer” strategy with the Caribbean as he focused on implementing a hard-line stance on Venezuela.
Forcing Caribbean nations to choose sides created searing divisions among Caribbean nations, which are known for voting as a bloc in international forums. In 2019, most Caribbean leaders found themselves on the outs with Trump when he invited only the prime ministers of the Bahamas, Jamaica and St. Lucia and the presidents of Haiti and the Dominican Republic to a meeting at his private Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. All five leaders were heads of nations sympathetic to his administration’s hard line on Venezuela.
Months later, during a stopover in Jamaica, Trump’s secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, only met with a select group of Caribbean foreign ministers. The head of CARICOM at the time, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, accused the U.S. of trying to divide the bloc by not inviting some countries.
Though Harris had met with leaders of CARICOM and the Dominican Republic virtually on April 29, they demanded a bilateral with Biden ahead of the summit. The request was reiterated this week in Los Angeles.
Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader described the meeting as “sincere.” During an address at the summit Friday, he said both Biden and Harris showed “they were very receptive and proved their empathy with our region.” He confirmed that both sides agreed to set up joint commissions to implement programs.
Antigua and Barbuda Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders called Biden’s appearance “a breakthrough.” Sanders is a vocal critic of U.S.-Caribbean relations.
“We’ve come a very far way,” he said. “This has been a breakthrough meeting for us. Biden has shown that he’s willing to move.”
Biden spent a great deal of time listening, Sanders said, and responding to suggestions that were made for an actionable plan that could be put in place as quickly as possible.
Sanders said both Biden and CARICOM agreed to set up as quickly as possible a group to look at how the proposals can be swiftly implemented. During the closed-door exchange, Caribbean leaders suggested several key areas that need attention and also listed their priorities, which don’t necessarily align with those of the U.S.
“It was a very forthcoming meeting,” said Sanders.
Still, the two will need to get on the same page over priorities. At the start of Thursday’s conversation with Harris, CARICOM Secretary Carla Barnett made it clear that recovery from COVID-19 is a top priority. Also getting access to low-income concessional financing is also critically important, leaders have stressed.
Read Next: Caribbean leaders not quite ready to reject fossil fuels as the U.S. pushes climate pact
In the new partnership it unveiled for the Caribbean, the U.S. is placing emphasis on clean energy and climate change, and helping countries access financing related to projects in those areas. The Biden administration has also stressed investment opportunities for the region through the Inter-American Development Bank. The difficulty there is that six Eastern Caribbean countries are not members of the IDB.
During the discussion with Biden, Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali made it known that the region had developed its own programs on food security, energy, logistics and transportation, which they are ready to roll out with the help of the U.S.
Biden, Sanders said, “didn’t show any attempt at brushing aside the issues.”
“We’ve come out of the meetings with a great sense of hope that we can actually get these things off the ground and soon,” he said.
Biden told leaders that he thought it was important to come by because “when you have everyone from presidents to prime ministers to foreign ministers here, this should be principal to principal.”
“The vice president has been kind enough to take on managing this part of the portfolio for me, just as I did for — when I was vice president for my former president,” he said. ”I’ve asked her to personally do this, but it is my responsibility. And I want you to know that on a leader-to-leader level, like we did whether it’s at dealing with climate in Europe or here, it’s — it should be person to person. And you should have access to me, and I hope I can have access to you as well.“
Showing that he’s heard their concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for concessional financing, he vowed to have his administration address their concerns.
“I know most of you represent middle- and high-income countries, and it’s put you in a difficult position which cuts you off from any of the international financial tools that are out there,” Biden said. “I think we’ve got some answers to be able to be significantly helpful in that regard.
“ I think that, you know, we can better prepare for natural disasters and rebuild after you get hit, increase resilience for future crises, including dealing with — there will be other pandemics that are coming down the line,” he added. “There’s a lot that I think that we can and should do. But I’m here not to tell you anything, but to hear what’s on your minds. This is a partnership. It’s not — I’m not — we’re not here to dictate. We’re here to — I’m here to learn, as well as to tell you what we’re prepared to do and what — you can ask me additional things you think we should or shouldn’t be doing.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 2:21 PM.
