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Kingston, Jamaica(22^nd January, 2020) – In an effort to continue to strengthen and reinforce the longstanding relationship between Saint Kitts and Nevis and the United States of America, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Mark Brantley, had a bilateral meeting with his counterpart, Secretary of State of the United States of America, Mr. Michael Pompeo.

At the onset, Minister Brantley highlighted the fact that this was the first opportunity the two have had to meet and discuss matters of foreign policy and thanked the Secretary of State for the invitation. In a light hearted manner, the Minister reminded Secretary Pompeo of how long both countries have been benefiting from each other- since the time of Alexander Hamilton who was the first Secretary of Treasury of the United States of America but was born in Nevis. On a more serious note, the Minister used the remainder of his introduction to recall that together, both countries have enjoyed a history of cooperation and mutual respect which have translated into vibrant commercial links, people to people contact and cultural exchanges.

The discussions then shifted to the issue of the protracted FinCEN advisory that would have come into effect May 20th, 2014, under the previous Saint Kitts-Nevis and US administrations. To reinforce the efforts made to repair the bilateral relationship, Minister Brantley pointed out that this issue was the main outstanding bilateral issue to be resolved and called upon his counterpart to assist in seeing how a positive resolution on the matter could be achieved.

On the issue of Venezuela, Minister Brantley echoed the CARICOM issued statement of January, 2019 which states, “Heads of Government reaffirmed their guiding principles of non-interference and non-intervention in the affairs of states, respect for sovereignty, adherence to the rule of law, and respect for human rights and democracy.” He advocated for CARICOM to be utilized to play a more central role in brokering a successful return to normalcy in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Minister Brantley also spoke to the continuing support of Saint Kits and Nevis to the government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and invited the United States to contain its support for freedom and democracy across the globe.

Both Secretary Pompeo and Minister Brantley underscored the need for continued dialogue and committed to working closely together to advance a stronger and deeper relationship between both countries