Greene Defends Expansion of Diplomatic Relations With Countries Around The World

Antigua and Barbuda is deliberately expanding its diplomatic and economic relations beyond traditional partners as part of a foreign policy strategy driven by survival, Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene said.

Speaking on Government in Motion, Greene said the government is broadening its international footprint in response to shifting global conditions, rising costs and vulnerabilities faced by small island states.

“We’ve been talking recently about expanding the footprint, diversifying markets, the whole nine yards,” Greene said.

He pointed to Africa as a key area of growing engagement, saying the relationship is already producing tangible results.

“When we say, for example, seeking to have close relations with Africa, you can see it in evidence,” Greene said. “Today, for example, we had 100-odd nurses arriving from the continent on an African airline.”

Greene said Antigua and Barbuda has established diplomatic relations with several African countries and is exploring the opening of missions to deepen those ties.

“We have established diplomatic relations with a number of African countries,” he said. “We are still looking at opening missions in key African states.”

He said diversification is also being driven by economic realities, particularly the cost of imports from traditional markets.

“Traditional markets are not necessarily closing, but they’re becoming less friendly,” Greene said. “The North American market where we depend on — we must have our food — for example, it is proven to be a costly one.”

As a result, Greene said the government is engaging South American and regional partners to strengthen food security and reduce dependency.

“We’ve been talking to South American countries — Colombia,” he said. “We’re talking to the Dominican Republic next door to us, trying to diversify our food supply chain.”

Greene said the expansion of diplomatic relations is not an abstract policy shift but one rooted in national survival, particularly in the face of climate change.

“A simple short phrase — our existence,” he said, when asked what Antigua and Barbuda is fighting to secure internationally.

He said the effects of climate change are already visible across the region.

“It is here, it is now,” Greene said. “You only need to go to the coastline of Antigua, Barbuda and several small states in the Caribbean and you can see the difference.”

Greene said small states are suffering the consequences of emissions they did not create, making climate justice a central diplomatic concern.

“Emissions and the like — that we do not cause — are bothering us most,” he said.

He said global commitments have too often failed to translate into action.

“You get a lot of talk at the level of the COP and other international fora, but very little delivery in terms of pledges and promises,” Greene said.

Despite that, Greene said Antigua and Barbuda must continue its advocacy.

“We can’t resile away and simply say that large countries are not delivering,” he said. “We have to keep on pounding the pavement.”

Greene said the country’s foreign policy is grounded in equality and shared responsibility.

“We have one earth,” he said. “It is our common home.”

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]