It’s no secret that US President Donald Trump has referred to the ongoing UNGA80 meetings as waste of time as they do not really solve any sort of issues but that is not the stance of Antigua and Barbuda’s government.
Trump told world leaders gathered at the UN on Tuesday that during a seven-month period he had ended “seven unendable” wars but said the global body had offered little help.
“What is the purpose of the United Nations?” he asked, adding “all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up. It’s empty words and empty words don’t solve war.”
He then went on to say that “climate change” is a con job and added that the United Nations has “radicalised environmentalists”.
But when asked about the effectiveness of the meetings, Cabinet Spokesperson Maurice Merchant mentioned that it is in the best of interest of the nation.
Cabinet did not share the same sentiments as Trump especially where climate change was concerned.
“From the Cabinet’s point of view, we know that the Prime Minister’s time is well spent there at the United Nations in the interest of Antigua and Barbuda, and in particular, small island developing states.
“It’s amazing that so many countries rely on Antigua and Barbuda’s voice, the Prime Minister’s voice, where climate change is concerned, and so the Prime Minister has had a lot of engagements at the United Nations. He arrived late or early Monday morning, that is about 1 a.m. Monday morning, and by 7 a.m. the Prime Minister was in meetings, and it has just been ongoing from the US reports.
“You would have seen that we have been turning out, you would have seen that the Prime Minister’s been very active, and on the Antigua and Barbuda side, the bilateral arrangements have been very successful. The Prime Minister has been meeting with a number of other leaders and partners of Antigua and Barbuda to address some of Antigua’s concerns in a wide variety of areas. So, as it relates to the effectiveness of the United Nations, Antigua and Barbuda is ensuring that it plays its part in ensuring that it is so, and we know that the Prime Minister’s time is not wasted, or the Antigua and Barbuda time is certainly not wasted,” Merchant stated.
Prime Minister Browne is joined by Foreign Minister E.P. Chet Greene, Health Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph, and Ambassador Walton Webson, along with other diplomatic staff.
Thank God he cannot serve another term in office. That Donald is something else indeed
Too often small states are overlooked. If the Cabinet sees these talks as essential, then we need to push hard for commitments that will protect us from climate disasters and strengthen our economy.