Antigua PM wants improved trade and transport connectivity with Brazil

BRASILIA (CMC):

Antigua and Barbuda Friday said it is looking forward to boosting trade, improving transport connectivity, and reinforcing regional supply chains and trade corridors with Brazil, saying these are all essential steps towards achieving food security and building lasting resilience across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Addressing the one-day Brazil-CARICOM) summit here, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the event offers an opportunity to “reshape, reimagine and strengthen the Brazil-Caribbean partnership”.

He said, in previous years, under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’ leadership, Brazil pursued a policy of active diplomacy and meaningful outreach, which strengthened solidarity and fostered a sense of unity with the Caribbean.

“We are facing a highly unpredictable global scenario, marked by major shifts and evolving threats. We continue to confront pressing challenges on multiple fronts, from the escalating cost of living crisis and ongoing trade and tariff wars to the rapid advancements in technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the lightning-fast spread of disinformation”

Browne said all of this is unfolding against a background of geopolitical fragmentation and conflict in different regions of the world.

He said that there is a need to accelerate momentum towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty and hunger and close the digital divide.

“We’re witnessing first-hand just how devastating climate change and its catastrophic impacts can be, especially for our coastal communities and the most vulnerable countries. There is a lot at stake and we must act together,” Browne said, adding “and that is why today’s summit is so timely”.

He said collective action and strong partnerships are more crucial than ever, and that “in today’s complex and rapidly changing global environment, Latin America and the Caribbean must stand together, we have no choice if we want to be resilient. Our futures are deeply intertwined.

“I believe we are a blessed region. We are rich in resources, culture, and home to dynamic, vibrant peoples. Together, we have the power to build a more resilient, secure, and sustainable future.”

Prime Minister Browne said that his country deeply values Brazil’s leadership in championing greater South-South cooperation and it was looking forward to strengthening people-to-people ties with Brazil.

“We also look forward to boosting trade, improving transport connectivity, and reinforcing regional supply chains and trade corridors, which are all essential steps toward achieving food security and building lasting resilience across Latin America and the Caribbean,” Browne said, adding that in “In Antigua and Barbuda, we are taking decisive steps to bolster domestic food production and promote climate-resilient farming and sustainable fisheries”.