T&T – PM Stops Short of Confirming Attendance at CARICOM Summit

2026-02-06 - 15:37

With fewer than three weeks remaining before the 50th CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting in St Kitts and Nevis, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has yet to confirm whether she will attend the regional summit. Asked by Guardian Media to clarify her participation, Persad-Bissessar responded cautiously: “If the scheduling permits, I will attend.” On January 19, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Sean Sobers told Guardian Media that Trinidad and Tobago’s delegation to the meeting was still being finalized and that an announcement would be made shortly. Efforts yesterday to obtain an update from Sobers were unsuccessful. Since her election in April, Persad-Bissessar has not attended a CARICOM Heads of Government meeting. She was notably absent from the 49th summit held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in July 2025. At the time, Sobers, who led the Trinidad and Tobago delegation, said the Prime Minister was attending to matters of “national importance,” though no further details were disclosed. Despite her non-attendance at recent summits, Persad-Bissessar reiterated Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment to CARICOM during last Friday’s sitting of Parliament. The session was attended by CARICOM Chair and Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew. While she has previously characterized CARICOM as an unreliable partner, Persad-Bissessar said Trinidad and Tobago remains among the regional bloc’s largest contributors and continues to support its collective growth and development. She also endorsed Drew’s New Year’s Day message calling for greater regional unity, while stressing that meaningful reform within the organization remains necessary. In December, the Prime Minister issued sharp criticism of CARICOM, describing it as “dysfunctional and self-destructive.” She cited poor management, internal divisions, and what she termed “inappropriate meddling in domestic politics” as factors contributing to the bloc’s challenges. She also accused CARICOM of appearing to support the former Nicolás Maduro administration in Venezuela, which she labeled a “narco-government.” Meanwhile, organizers of Caribbean Energy Week, scheduled to take place in Suriname from March 30 to April 1, have listed Persad-Bissessar as a keynote speaker. Guardian Media sought confirmation from the Prime Minister regarding her attendance at the event, but questions went unanswered.