Government is working on bringing home over 90 T&T nationals, including 56 children, in North East Syria.
This revelation was made by Foreign Affairs and Caricom Minister Dr Amery Browne.
Browne said however that he is unable to say exactly when that process will begin.
The Minister made the comment at a media conference yesterday to address the issue, which was raised by the advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday.
Browne said: “The public is well aware that there is ongoing work, proprietary work, that the Government is committed to treating this issue in a serious manner. But the public is also well aware that the Government is treating with the very serious national security implications of persons of any category who would be returning or potentially returning from conflict zones. So that is not going to be an overnight development, but there’s a multi-ministry, multi-disciplinary team that is hard at work in such regard.”
Browne added: “We’re always open to partnerships and collaborations. That’s the way we conduct our business. But on this issue, it is not just a case of conveying individuals from the Middle East to the Caribbean, or to Trinidad and Tobago.
“When we speak about proprietary work and the types of steps that are required, we are also talking about treating the domestic national security environment, and that’s something that we and our national stakeholders have to treat with. But as I said, we’re always open to and we always welcome collaborations with our key international partners, including the United States of America.”
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