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  • 7 weeks ago
Trinidad and Tobago's Ambassador to CARICOM, Ralph Maraj, says this has been a winning week for the nation. He points to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's moves on the global stage strengthening ties with Washington on energy and security, sealing progress on the Dragon Gas deal, and delivering a visa-free travel agreement with the United Arab Emirates.

More from Nicole M Romany.

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00:00Ambassador to CARICOM Ralph Mirage says the revival of the Dragon Gas Project is more than just good news.
00:08It's a pivotal step toward strengthening the economy.
00:12He tells TV6, with Trinidad and Tobago long established as a gas-driven nation
00:18and the Point Lisa's industrial estate in need of natural gas to sustain production and revenue,
00:25the move is a pragmatic and sensible step that could mark a turning point in the country's growth.
00:31He says the relationship with the U.S. is vital.
00:35So, you know, it would be utterly foolish, I think, and foolhardy as well,
00:40for any country in our region to not want a close relationship with this global giant.
00:46And indeed, today when uncertainties grow from the weakening multilateralism,
00:53there can hardly be anything more important in any country's forward relations,
00:57particularly if you are among the small and the vulnerable as we are in Trinidad and Tobago and the CARICOM.
01:05Mirage acknowledges the recent strains between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela,
01:10noting that while the Prime Minister has thrown her support behind the U.S. in its fight against drug cartels,
01:17she has never called for war against Caracas.
01:21He admits, however, that those tensions could pose challenges in moving the drug and gas deal forward.
01:28I don't recall the Prime Minister threatening Venezuela with war or anything like that.
01:35But this is all part of the hyperbole, all part of the stress and the tensions that have arisen in the relationship between the two countries.
01:47Yeah, the drug and gas is not a done deal. It's not a done deal. It was never a done deal.
01:54This thing has been going on for years now. Attempts to tap into this wealth of natural gas that is in the drug and field.
02:03So we have to, you know, tread carefully.
02:08The CARICOM ambassador also weighs in on the Prime Minister's declaration of full support
02:14for the U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign against drug cartels and transnational gangs
02:20and her endorsement of the initiative established to tackle gangs in Haiti,
02:24warning that the Caribbean can no longer be seen as a zone of peace in the face of escalating criminal networks.
02:31We know the situation in Haiti is worse than it has ever been.
02:35And Trinidad and Tobago is supporting the U.S. Panama initiative for a gang suppression force in Haiti
02:44as an instrument for restoring peace in the first instance.
02:48And I think that the U.N. Security Council is voting on that resolution.
02:53The resolution has been accepted. It has been formulated.
02:58It is going to be submitted to the U.N. Security Council today.
03:02And one expects that that will be passed.
03:07Maraj says this country is broadening its international ties
03:11and forging new partnerships across Africa, the Middle East and beyond.
03:15He points to recent talks with Saudi Arabia and the UAE,
03:20new diplomatic relations and the air services agreement with Ghana,
03:24all paving the way for the recently signed visa waiver agreement,
03:28which he says will be fully realized through a structured two-tiered process.
03:34Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
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