Senator the Honourable Dr. Amery Browne, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs participated in a lunch discussion hosted by His Excellency Mr. Kumar Gupta, High Commissioner of Canada on Wednesday 09 March 2022, which focussed on the implications of the crisis in Ukraine. Also in attendance were: Her Excellency Ute König, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany; Her Excellency Harriet Cross, High Commissioner for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; His Excellency Peter Cavendish, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Delegation of the European Union; Mr. Shante Moore, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Embassy of the United States of America; Ms. Elizabeth Soloman; and Dr. Jacqueline Laguardia-Martinez and Dr. Annita Montoute, Institute of International Relations, The University of the West Indies. At this event Minister Browne emphasized the deep concerns of Trinidad and Tobago on the ongoing violation of Ukraine’s internationally agreed borders and of its territorial integrity by the Russian Federation.
Minister Browne reiterated the Government`s concern about the grave humanitarian situation caused by the invasion of Ukraine, and expressed particular concern about the circumstances faced by non-Europeans residing in that country. Minister Browne indicated that the ongoing bombardment of Ukraine by the Russian forces, and the potential for further escalation, constitutes a real threat to international peace and security and is particularly inimical to the vital security interests of small states like Trinidad and Tobago.
Minister Browne reminded the invited guests that at the start of the current military attacks, Trinidad and Tobago was one of the first countries to call for a de-escalation in the hostilities and for a return to the diplomatic route to resolve differences. The Minister also noted that Trinidad and Tobago has been consistent in its stance on the conflict, as conveyed via our statements at the United Nations and at the Organisation of American States.
The Minister, who had recently returned from Belize following his attendance at the Thirty-Third Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), emphasized that CARICOM has maintained a robust and unified position on the crisis. He reported that at last week’s meeting in Belize, CARICOM Heads, on the theme “War and Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine,” again condemned the military attacks and invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. The Heads also called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to all acts of aggression as well as the urgent withdrawal of Russian military forces from Ukraine. They further encouraged the Russian Federation to resolve their concerns diplomatically and not through warfare.
Minister Browne reminded the gathering of CARICOM’s position that our own region is and must remain a Zone of Peace. We strongly discourage any actions that can elevate tensions in our region and that can threaten the peace, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Member States.
Minister Browne stressed that as a democratic, peace-loving people and an unrelenting advocate for the rule of law, Trinidad and Tobago can neither subscribe to nor ignore any unilateral attempt to violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of any state under the threat or use of force. Such acts of aggression and expansionism violate peremptory norms of international law and do violence to the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations to which our Member States are freely bound.
The Minister engaged in open discussion with the attendees and benefitted from a healthy exchange of views shared by the gathered diplomats and international relations experts.
