Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley met with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken in Washington, DC on Monday 29th January.
The meeting with the Secretary of State underscores the strength of the bilateral relationship between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.
Both countries continue to partner on several key issues including energy, education, crime prevention, training, and technical assistance.
Discussions focussed specifically on national security and firearms trafficking and the work being advanced through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, which is the US regional citizen security and development programme.
Talks touched on the historical and emerging issues surrounding Venezuela as it relates to Trinidad and Tobago’s pathway towards achieving energy security for the region.
The agenda also included a conversation on collaborating to strengthen cyber and digital policy and the approach to the ongoing instability in Haiti.
Earlier Monday, Prime Minister Rowley met with United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Katherine Tai, who as a member of the President’s Cabinet is the chief trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on US trade policy.
The United States remains Trinidad and Tobago’s largest trading partner.
The Prime Minister and Ambassador Tai advanced their ideas on further strengthening the bilateral economic partnership and opportunities to expand trade. This included examining views on improvements that can be made to widen participation in the Caribbean Basin Initiative, secure supply chain management and ensure that trade policies are people-centred.
Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Senator Dr Amery Browne; Minister of Energy and Energy Industries and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Stuart Young; Minister of Digital Transformation, Senator Hassel Bacchus and Chief of Defence Staff of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, Air Vice-Marshal Darryl Daniel were also present for today’s meetings.
Prime Minister Rowley is expected to participate in further meetings later today.