Kerry welcomes Rowley

The summit formally opened in Washington DC yesterday.Noting the presence of prime ministers and other government representatives who were making their first attendance at the summit, Kerry said, “ I want to particularly recognise Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica and Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago, who are both making their first official trip to Washington in those capacities.”

Rowley was elected as Prime Minister on September 7, 2015.Holness was elected to office on February 25. Observing that Latin America and the Caribbean have stood in sharp contrast to more troubled and conflict-ridden regions in the world, Kerry said, “The fact is that if we want the economies of Latin America and of the Caribbean to grow and thrive tomorrow, then we’re going to have to make the right choices now, today, tomorrow.”

Noting the move towards renewable energy is growing and more money was invested last year in clean energy projects compared to fossil fuel development, Kerry disclosed that USAID funding associated with Caribbean and Central American renewable energy projects was expected to be online as of yesterday. Saying that Caribbean and Central American nations continue to pursue legal, regulatory, and policy reforms, Kerry stated, “ They’re going to modernise and integrate their energy systems and make private sector clean energy more attractive in all of those places.”

Saying this bode well for the deliberations at the summit, Kerry declared, “In the end, it’s going to help showcase the unbelievable engagement that we have had over the past four years under President Obama’s Central American and Caribbean Energy Task Force.”

In some brief remarks on his Facebook page ahead of yesterday’s summit, Rowley said, “We are here today out of a common commitment to build sustainable societies within respective countries.”

The Prime Minister further stated, “The current environment of ‘low oil prices’ has raised questions, from time to time, about whether the availability of cheap crude could derail the movement toward renewable energy sources and energy efficiency applications.” He said that movement has been gathering momentum in the last decade and, “is essential to energy security within the Caribbean Community.”