Governor Adrian Davis
Foreign Ministers from the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) countries and the Dominican Republic and Premiers of the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean met in London on June 16 and 17 2014 for high-level talks with the Foreign Secretary, FCO Minister for the Caribbean, Mark Simmonds, and other UK Government Ministers.
As a result of discussions at the Forum, UK and Caribbean Ministers agreed to follow-up activity on energy security, education for economic development and tackling serious and organised crime.
As well as government to government talks, the Forum featured a trade and investment event which promoted new business opportunities in the Caribbean. Caribbean Ministers also met HRH the Earl of Wessex, UK parliamentarians and participated in a ‘Caribbean Question Time’ event with members of the UK Caribbean community.
A check on the attendees produced the absence of Montserrat at the meetings, a surprise knowing that the Premier was in the USA, UK and Europe during this period.
At his July press conference Governor Davis was asked whether Montserrat as invited to the meeting as this was hosted by Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO).
We asked the FCO, “Would you kindly advise Montserrat’s absence at the meeting re above?” i.e. the subject meeting. Their response: “Thank you for your email. Montserrat were invited to the forum, so would refer you to Montserrat to respond to your question …”
The Governor responded in the positive, but said that the Premier did not accept nor attended the meeting because as a member of CARICOM he felt Montserrat should not have been invited only as observer like the other Overseas Territories.
Premier R T Meade
“Montserrat was invited but was invited as an observer. The Premier took the view that Montserrat was a full member of CARICOM we should be invited as a full member and in the light of that decided that it wasn’t sensible for Montserrat to attend, but Montserrat was invited,” the Governor said.
He explained further: “There is particular issue about the status of Montserrat as in independent member, as a full member of CARICOM which BVI and TCI are not.”
The Governor then agreed with the Premier against his bosses at FCO for not attending a meeting that would be of benefit to Montserrat. “They were there as observers,” he said. “The Premier [took] quite rightly, took a legitimate view that since Montserrat was a full member of CARICOM you should be invited as a full participant rather that as an observer and as it was only invited as an observer he declined to attend.”
The matter of Montserrat being a full member of CARICOM is not disputable, but only in certain circumstances. Attending a meeting as an observer does not silence him, and as a matter of fact is heard like any other person at the meeting. He may not be able to vote if that becomes necessary.
All of the other Overseas territories attended the meeting which discussed cooperation on matters relating to education, energy security and economic development.
Held every two years, the UK-Caribbean Ministerial Forum provides a framework for discussion between the UK and Caribbean on a range of bilateral, regional and international issues. This year’s event focused on joint efforts to promote prosperity and encourage economic growth.
The UK-Caribbean Forum was first held in Nassau in 1998 and, since that date, has been the principle platform for high-level dialogue between the UK and the Caribbean on important bi-national, regional and international issues.
The UK re-iterated their support for the Forum as an important vehicle for co-operation, reflecting the special relationship that exists between the UK, the Caribbean states and the six British Overseas Territories. It was the eighth UK-Caribbean Ministerial Forum under the theme “A Partnership for Prosperity”.
