Leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), including Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Browne, are currently participating in the inaugural Saudi-CARICOM Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The summit is set to discuss a range of topics of mutual interest between CARICOM and Saudi Arabia, such as trade and investment, tourism, climate change, agriculture, and food security, as well as transportation.

Prime Minister Browne, who has been actively working on strengthening ties with a number of Middle Eastern states, expressed his satisfaction that Antigua and Barbuda’s efforts to cultivate relations with Saudi Arabia have contributed to deeper ties between the Gulf state and the Caribbean region.

The summit, which started today, will run for two days and includes high-level talks between CARICOM leaders, including CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman.

Antigua and Barbuda’s delegation to the summit includes Works Minister, Maria Browne, Junior Finance Minister, Senator. Dwayne George, and a number of Ambassadors to the Middle East and Europe.

The summit is expected to foster a closer relationship between Saudi Arabia and CARICOM and promote cooperation in various areas of mutual interest.