US Secretary of State to visit Jamaica next week
KINGSTON, Jamaica — United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Jamaica on Wednesday, where he will meet with Prime Minister Andrew Holness as part of a three-nation tour of the Caribbean, according to a report from the Miami Herald.
Rubio will leave Jamaica to visit Guyana and Suriname, where he will meet with Mohamed Irfaan Ali and Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi.
His visit aligns with calls from Caribbean leaders for US senior officials to visit the Caribbean to facilitate discussions surrounding how recent US policy shifts may affect the region.
Prime Minister of Barbados and current Chair of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Mia Mottley; Trinidad and Tobago’s newly minted Prime Minister, Stewart Young; and head of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council, Fritz Alphonse Jean, are expected to be present at Wednesday’s meeting.
Reports from the Miami Herald are that Mottley has also called an emergency virtual meeting for Friday to discuss the potential effects of a proposed Trump administration hike in port fees for China-linked ships going to the United States.