Washington, United States: Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness met with United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken during his official visit to the United States. On Friday, April 1, 2022, Prime Minister Holness with his minister Kamina J Smith concluded the meeting with Blinken and touched on various matters of concern related to the upliftment of the small island nations.
After concluding the meeting, PM Holness outlined major topics of discussion and stated that Secretary Blinken expressed support for the development agenda as advanced by Jamaica, and pledged the support and consideration of the United States in helping to realize Jamaica’s plans.
Outlining the various matter of concern and diplomatic exchanges, PM Holness expressed, “The issues discussed included opportunities for partnership to make Jamaica a shining example of a prosperous and thriving small island democracy within the region.”
As has been the theme of our meetings here in the US, among other important areas, both delegations have focused the discussions on various matters which could further aid the small island nations to strengthen their diplomatic ties. So, Prime Minister Andrew Holness outlined the areas featured in the meeting are as follows:
- Investment in our human resource development capacity will have a direct impact on Jamaica’s growth horizon.
- Establishing Jamaica as a nearshore technology hub for logistics, light manufacturing, and other services.
- Partnership on violence prevention through information and intelligence sharing, border protection, and cooperation to eliminate trafficking and other transnational crimes, as part of our security agenda.
We will be using the channel of a working group to continue strategic dialogue to examine proposals for impactful support to Jamaica’s development objectives.
— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) April 1, 2022
- Support for energy resilience and diversification in light of geopolitical developments and the potential impact on Jamaica’s economy over a sustained period.
- The need for democracies to work together to strengthen partnerships and find meaningful ways to support each other.
Prime Minister Holness and Secretary Blinken also expressed their agreement on the topic and stated that Secretary that Jamaica and the US have had a long and meaningful relationship spanning 60 years; however it was also agreed that there were many opportunities to strengthen the relationship and build greater partnerships.
“We will be using the channel of a working group to continue strategic dialogue to examine proposals for impactful support to Jamaica’s development objectives,” underscored the prime minister.
PM Holness also mentioned that he had the opportunity to make a presentation to members of the media at the National Press Club here in Washington, on what Jamaica hoped to achieve through my working visit to the United States.
He said, “Following my presentation, I participated in a Q&A responding to a wide range of questions.”
On his official visit, PM Holness also shared his further schedule and informed that he will be engaging with members of the Diaspora through the “Let’s Connect with Ambassador Marks” virtual town hall this evening at 6 PM Jamaica time.
