LONDON, CMC – Security and trade will top the agenda of the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, during his first visit to the Caribbean, where he will launch a new partnership key to strengthening national security.
The UK Government said Lammy will visit Guyana and Barbados, “two of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean.”
The government said Lammy will launch a new partnership “to help tackle organized crime, boost economic growth, and adapt to the climate crisis, all key to strengthening national security.”
While in Barbados, the UK Government said the Foreign Secretary would “finalize agreements to prevent organized crime and reduce violence, making people in the Caribbean and the UK safer.
“The government will offer British expertise – to help regional authorities investigate and disrupt criminal networks to strengthen law enforcement, tackle gangs, and keep drugs out of the Caribbean Sea and off UK streets – a part of this government’s mission for making safer streets and so British people can live their lives without fear of crime,” said the statement, stating that Lammy will announce the IDB Latin America and Caribbean Security Ministers Conference.
The UK Government said the Foreign Secretary would travel to Guyana, “the world’s fastest-growing economy, to strengthen ties between the two countries.”
On Friday, Lammy will visit a maternity hospital in Georgetown, Guyana, constructed using steel manufactured in Yorkshire.
“This underscores how UK exports are improving Guyana’s healthcare provision while creating jobs back in Britain to help build the foundations of a stronger economy and deliver on this Government’s Plan for Change,” the statement said.
It said Lammy will also seek to push forward a significant infrastructure deal for British construction businesses to help expand Guyana’s main international airport.
“This highlights the Government’s commitment to opening new overseas markets for UK firms, driving up prosperity, and delivering national renewal,” the statement said.
Lammy said: “As the son of Guyanese parents, I am proof of the ties the UK shares with the Caribbean.
“Building our ties with these fast-growing economies in the region will make the UK and the Caribbean safer, stronger, more prosperous, and more resilient against the climate crisis,” he said.
“Growth and prosperity in the UK rely on security and stability around the world – which is why we are helping to tackle organized crime and corruption, keeping drugs off UK streets and hitting the criminal networks involved in the narcotics trade in the Caribbean,” he added. “The government’s plan to smash the gangs means working with our partners to bolster our national security.”
Following Hurricane Beryl’s devastation, the Foreign Secretary will travel with Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley to areas damaged by the storm and see firsthand how climate change is having a real impact on the Caribbean and island states, the statement said.
It said Lammy would announce new UK funding to help countries in the region harness green energy resources and reduce their use of fossil fuels.
The statement said he will establish a new program to protect forests and tackle illegal logging, which will help protect vital natural habitats.
It said the UK Minister for the Caribbean, Baroness Chapman, will also be part of the UK delegation meeting Prime Minister Mottley in Barbados.
The statement said she would accompany the Foreign Secretary around the island alongside the Prime Minister.
Baroness Chapman will then join the Foreign Secretary at the Regional Security System (RSS), headquartered in Barbados, where they will be shown how the UK supports the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime across the region.
The statement said the Foreign Secretary will hold talks with President Ali in Guyana, the UK’s biggest trading partner in the region, to boost commercial ties between the two countries and tackle issues of common concern, including the climate crisis.
The statement said he would also show the UK’s “steadfast support for Guyanese territorial integrity, in the face of illegitimate Venezuelan claims to Essequibo. “
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