VIDEO: PM Says Opposition Using Routine U.S. Embassy Meeting to Score Political Points

Prime Minister Gaston Browne says a visit by officials from the U.S. Embassy’s Barbados mission later this month is a routine diplomatic engagement and not a special meeting arranged by opposition figures, as he said some have been claiming.

On his Browne and Browne radio programme, Browne said the opposition has been asserting that it secured a special meeting with American officials to discuss ongoing issues, including visa-related concerns. Browne rejected that, saying the engagement stems from a diplomatic note sent to Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs outlining a scheduled visit by U.S. officials between Jan. 26 and Jan. 28.

He said the embassy delegation requested meetings with a wide slate of officials — including the governor-general, the prime minister and multiple government ministers — and also asked for a meeting with the leader of the opposition.

Browne characterized the itinerary as standard diplomatic outreach and said it is not even at ambassadorial level, describing it as a visit by two officers from the Barbados mission.

He said despite that, opposition figures were “boasting” about the meeting as if they had arranged it and could influence outcomes.

Browne said the government, for its part, has been pursuing what he described as “responsible and quiet diplomacy” through its official channels, including Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador in Washington, as it seeks to address the U.S.-related concerns.

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