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Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2019 (SKNIS): The voice of St. Kitts and Nevis on critical regional and global matters such as climate change, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and political conflicts is resonating even more in international circles as a result of a robust strategy to expand diplomatic alliances.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Mark Brantley, spoke about the efforts to enhance relations with several countries and strengthen existing partnerships with allies during the ongoing 2020 Budget debate in the St. Kitts and Nevis Federal Parliament on December 13.

“I’m happy to report to the House and to the nation that we have recently established in the last week, formal ties with Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Honourable Brantley said. “And in this year alone we have had the Kingdom of Cambodia, Honduras, Republic of North Macedonia, Rwanda, and the State of Palestine.” 

The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that from 2015 to present, the government has added: “36 new allies and friends by way of formal diplomatic relations.”

The rationale for this robust strategy is very practical.

“The answer is simple—we are a small country,” Minister Brantley said. “Our foreign policy has been informed by the idea that we are friends to all and foe to none. We don’t go out to pick fights; we don’t take sides. We stand on international law and we stand on principle.”

That same principle informed St. Kitts and Nevis’ position on the Crisis in Venezuela. The principle of non-interference and non-intervention was also the official response of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) under the Chairmanship of St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris. The body advocated for a peaceful solution to the Crisis in Venezuela and said that any solution must come from the parties inside of that country and should not be imposed by any foreign power or body.

Honourable Brantley praised Prime Minister Harris’ leadership during this difficult time and noted that the government will continue reaching out to other friendly nations to expand its diplomatic footprints.