BASSETERRE, ST. Kitts, CMC -United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Wednesday, said Washington is interested in rebuilding and constructing a new dynamic in the Western Hemisphere and is partnering with Caribbean countries “on the issues we share in common”.
Addressing a closed door meeting of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders at their 50th regular summit here, Rubio said that the Donald Trump administration believes that the most urgent security threat in the region ‘is the threat of these transnational criminal organizations, many of you, many of whom have funding and power that rival if not exceed that of many of the nation-states that they threaten.
“We recognize that it is an interlocked challenge that comes from a broader perspective. Number one, they’re obviously fueled by narcotrafficking and other illicit means,” Rubio said, noting that oftentimes, those drugs and the proceeds from those drugs are being made in the streets of the United States.
“This is a danger in the countries that they transit, and it’s ultimately a danger to the national security of the United States,” he added.
“We’ve also watched with alarm at the level of armament that these groups have. We recognize that many of these groups are buying weaponry from the United States, and that we are committed and continue to work very hard with our law enforcement agencies to shut that down.
“I hope you have seen, both in the case of Haiti but in other dynamics, that we have not shied away, not just from designating groups for what they are – these are terroristic organizations – but even individuals who are responsible for being supportive of them. We’ve also gone after them, and this is something that we have as a shared dynamic.”
Rubio said that the United States has a long history of working together on responding to these challenges. Still, he thinks that “our cooperation will have to grow even deeper and our commitment to it will have to grow even stronger because these groups grow stronger”.
He said he wanted to point out to the regional leaders the role that these drug cartels have established for themselves in Mexico and the need for collaboration to deal with such situations.
“The second thing is there are extraordinary opportunities for economic advancement, to work together on issues like energy,” he said, adding that energy is critical for the future and critical for every economy to prosper.
“Many of the countries represented here today have energy resources that I know you seek to explore responsibly, safely, but in a way that generates wealth and prosperity for your people and your countries, and we want to be your partner in that regard.
“So that’s another area of – that hopefully we can cooperate on very closely together. And I would add to that that part of the dynamics there is some of the regional – some of the regional opportunities that are occurring.”
Rubio said that irrespective of how some of the Caribbean countries may have felt about the US military operations and policy towards Venezuela, he is stating “without any apology or without any apprehension (that Venezuela is better off today than it was eight weeks ago. “The progress being made there is substantial, and there’s a long way to go. But the new interim authorities, led by Delcy Rodríguez, have done things that eight or nine weeks ago would have been unimaginable.
“They have released political prisoners; they have closed Helicoide, which is their most infamous prison of all. They are, for the first time in a long time, generating oil revenue that’s going to the benefit of their people, using those funds not just to make payroll for government services but to purchase medical equipment that’s necessary for their system.”
Rubio said that there is still a long way to go in Venezuela, and Washington is committed to making it work.
“We have reopened our embassy in Caracas, where we have an excellent chargé who’s on the ground, along with other government officials, and we intend to continue to build on that.
“Now, we believe strongly – and I think all of you would share this view – that ultimately, for them to take the next step to develop that country truly and to truly benefit from that country’s riches for the benefit of their people, they will need the legitimacy of democratic, fair elections.
“But our initial priority in the aftermath of Maduro’s capture was to ensure that there wasn’t instability, that there wasn’t mass migration, that there wasn’t spillover violence, and we believe we have achieved that.”
He said Venezuela is in the process of moving from a phase of stability to one of recovery, adding that the South American country needs to recover from many things, including deep internal fractures and some dysfunction in its economic systems.
“I say all this to you because ultimately we do believe that a prosperous, free Venezuela who’s governed by a legitimate government who has the interests of their people in mind could also be an extraordinary partner and asset to many of the countries represented here today in terms of energy needs and the like, and also one less source of instability in the region.
“So we expect to work very closely with all of you on that topic as well to the extent possible, and I think it’s related to the topic of security”.
He said that Washington wants the region, including the southern United States, to be seen as part of the Caribbean Basin.
“We want it to be a place that is attractive for inbound investment. Many of you have taken on the challenge and done a tremendous job of diversifying your economies, and continue to seek ways to diversify. To the extent there are opportunities for American businesses or American investors to be part of that, we want to facilitate them. We want to be a part of making that happen.”
He said that the stronger, the safer, the more prosperous, and the more secure all the countries in the region are, the stronger, safer, more secure, and more prosperous the United States is going to be.
“ We view our security, our prosperity, our stability to be intricately tied to yours and we are going to evidence in the actions we’re prepared to take and in the priority that we want to give this our intent to follow through on it, which is why I’m here today, which is why I wanted to come here today and interact with all of you collectively and a few of you individually in the time that’s permitted to me.”
Rubio said he hoped that his presence here on Wednesday “serves as a real-world demonstration of our commitment to being your partner, to – I don’t even want to call it resetting relations because it’s really not about a reset.
“I mean, we have longstanding ties to each of you bilaterally and all of you collectively, but reinvigorating our relationships because we have a lot in common to work on, both opportunities and challenges, and the United States is committed to doing that.
“And certainly over the next three years, and I remain in this post, it will be a personal priority to me. It will be one that I will be personally engaged in, and it’s one that I hope to leave for my successor, whoever that may be, a very strong and stable relationship that they can continue to build upon as well,” Rubio told the regional leaders.
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