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Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves also called on CARICOM to establish a new regional air carrier as a "matter of urgency".
During the 43rd Summit of the Caribbean Community, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves mentioned the effects of the sanctions against Venezuela concerning the Petrocaribe program.
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He said: "There is an obvious circumstance, with the supply of energy through the Petrocaribe agreement, which is very favorable for several Caribbean countries including the independent countries of the OAS, and other countries within Caricom. As you know, the unilateral sanctions imposed by the united states administration during the time of President Donald Trump in relation to Venezuela effectively put an end to the Petrocaribe agreement. This agreement provided important financial benefits to the participating countries.
Gonsalves also said that Guyana and other member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will urgently advance fresh talks on the establishment of a dedicated regional air carrier. A regional airline is viewed as a much-needed mechanism to aid the free movement of people within CARICOM, especially given the collapse of LIAT.
With revitalized efforts to facilitate the free movement of people within CARICOM, particularly since the region hopes to rebound from the devastation wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Gonsalves said that the establishment of this new regional carrier is a “matter of urgency”.
And it was noted that the leaders of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Barbados, Dominica and Guyana will be leading the discussions on the new air carrier.
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