US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, Hold Bilateral Discussions

US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio (Left) and Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, speaking to the media following the bilateral discussions on Wednesday (CMC PHoto)

Introduction to the Bilateral Discussions

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Prime Minister Andrew Holness Wednesday said he had “productive and constructive discussions” with the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as the two countries reinforced their bond of long-standing friendship.

Holness said that the discussions focused on strengthening the partnership and expanding opportunities for collaboration.

Security and Cooperation

“During our meeting, we addressed several critical areas of cooperation, security…and re-affirmed our commitment to enhancing cooperation in combating transnational crime, ensuring the collective safety of our citizens and mutually secured borders.

“We discussed a global war on gangs, and there is already significant policy alignment with both countries in this regard,” Holness told reporters, adding that the United States has been instrumental in supporting Jamaica’s efforts to bolster its marine awareness and intelligence surveillance capabilities, crucial in the fight against organized crime.

Holness said that discussions had also been held on “expanded and repurposing development assistance towards shared goals including security,” adding that this would significantly expand the cooperation between the two countries in fighting lottery scams, transnational organized crimes, trafficking in guns, and building safer communities.

“We are committed to ensuring that our partnership delivers results that drive down criminality and trafficking in this hemisphere,” Holness said.

US Perspective on the Global War on Crime

Rubio said that while Washington may use a different phrase than “global war on crime,” nonetheless, we are talking about the same problem.

“It is amazing if you look across the region and many parts of the world how many of the threats we face in the world now once came from an ideological terrorist organization or a nation-state and are now coming from nongovernmental organizations who in some cases are more powerful than governments in some of these countries.”

He said it is a significant challenge, including in Haiti, and “it is a multifaceted challenge.

“How many of the guns and weapons being used by gangs to commit acts of violence here in Jamaica are purchased in the United States, and we want to commit to doing more to stop the flow? At the same time, we want to do more to increase your capacity…in helping Jamaica build its capacity, its ability to confront these challenges”.

US Support for Jamaica

He said that Washington is reactivating the center that deals with lottery scamming, providing synthetic-detection equipment for Jamaica forensic labs, launching another counter-gang recruitment program, and providing intelligence software to combat gangs and night vision goggles and technology.

Situation in Haiti

The meeting also discussed the ongoing situation in Haiti, where criminal gangs have been seeking to overthrow the government ever since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

“We look forward to continued partnership with the United States as we seek to work with the Haitian leadership and stakeholders to address the ongoing crises in Haiti,” Holness said, acknowledging that the situation in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country poses “ a massive threat to Haitians, regional stability and indeed to its close neighbors, including Jamaica.

“We agreed we must do everything we can to stabilize the situation in Haiti so that they can better build capacity and address their political and humanitarian challenges.”

Trade and Investment

Holness said that on the issue of trade, with bilateral trade surpassing three billion dollars in 2023, “we explored avenues to expand trade relations between our two countries further, the renewal of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act…as a matter of critical importance for trade for ourselves and for all member CARICOM states.

Holness said the discussions also explored ways to attract increased US investment into Jamaica’s emerging sectors, adding that “Jamaica is open for enhanced US investment across multiple sectors, including energy and near-shoring.

“I am confident today will lead to tangible outcomes benefitting both our peoples and contributing to mutual stability and prosperity,” Holness said.

US Trade Policy

Rubio said that Washington is realigning its trade policy “primarily to reset global trade in a way that is fair to the US after 20 or 30 years of what we believe is unfairness, not when it comes to Jamaica…

“From that will come new opportunities to create new alignments and trade opportunities, and I believe Jamaica is one of those places where we can benefit together.”

Rubio also believes there are opportunities for investment, particularly in energy.

He said the United States would be producing a lot of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), “which we have in abundance and will seek to export.

“You cannot have manufacturing without reliable and affordable energy, and it is one of those things I think we could continue, along with other things…to utilize the resources of the country in a responsible way.”

Tourism and Aid

He said discussions were also on the tourism sector, promising to re-examine the travel advisories on Jamaica “to ensure that they do reflect the reality of the new numbers…when it comes to the murder rates and so forth.”

Rubio said one reason he wanted to visit Jamaica today was to discuss the issue of aid.

“The United States is not getting out of the aid business. We are going to provide foreign aid. The difference is that we want to give foreign assistance in a way that is strategically aligned with our foreign policy priorities and the priorities of our host countries…, in which we are partners.

“How it has worked in the past is that USAID or some other entity would come into a country and say this is what we think you need, and they go and hire an NGO, and they are the ones that convince them that’s what you need and give them a bunch of money and they come into the country, and they do things.

“Some of these programmes are fine, they are nice things, other times not so much,” he said, adding, “How we want it to be in the future is our embassies are involved with our host governments…and we ask them what your needs are and we provide assistance geared towards the needs of the nation-state that is hosting us,” Rubio added.

Conclusion

The bilateral discussions between Prime Minister Andrew Holness and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have marked a significant step forward in strengthening the partnership between Jamaica and the United States. The two countries have reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation in areas such as security, trade, and investment, and have identified new opportunities for collaboration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What were the main topics discussed during the bilateral discussions?

The main topics discussed during the bilateral discussions included security, trade, investment, and aid.

What is the current state of trade relations between Jamaica and the United States?

Bilateral trade between Jamaica and the United States has surpassed three billion dollars in 2023, and the two countries are exploring avenues to expand trade relations further.

What support is the United States providing to Jamaica in terms of security?

The United States is reactivating the center that deals with lottery scamming, providing synthetic-detection equipment for Jamaica forensic labs, launching another counter-gang recruitment program, and providing intelligence software to combat gangs and night vision goggles and technology.