The 50th Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government opened in St Kitts and Nevis with divisions emerging over regional foreign policy.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, used her address to criticise CARICOM’s position on Cuba and Venezuela. She said the regional body had failed to take a firm enough stance and aligned her government with United States calls for regime change in both countries.

Mrs Persad-Bissessar accused CARICOM of being influenced by governing parties and raised concerns about what she described as an unanswered 2022 letter regarding a Trinidadian national she says was kidnapped. She also criticised member states for sending political operatives to campaign in other countries’ elections.

Outgoing CARICOM chair, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, said the regional body was never intended to be a political union but a partnership of sovereign states.

The opening session ended with a calypso performance by St Kitts and Nevis’ Public Utilities Minister, who used the moment to criticise Trinidad and Tobago’s position while maintaining diplomatic ties with other global powers.