*US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has met Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness in Jamaica on the first leg of his 26-27 March tour of the Caribbean, which also takes in Guyana and Suriname. While security was identified as a major area of cooperation, with Rubio and Holness reaffirming commitments to enhance cooperation in combating transnational crime, the two also discussed “expanded and repurposing development assistance towards our shared goals, including security” and “avenues to further expand” bilateral trade which surpassed US$3bn in 2023, and also explored means to “attract increased US investment into Jamaica’s emerging sectors”. Among issues addressed was the Cuban doctors programme following Rubio’s announcement last month of an expansion of a Cuba-related visa restriction policy which now applies to government officials and their family members “linked to the Cuban labour export programme”, particularly Cuba’s overseas medical missions. Rubio’s announcement drew pushback from a string of Caribbean leaders including the prime ministers of Antigua & Barbuda (Gaston Browne), St Vicente & the Grenadines (Ralph Gonsalves), and Barbados (Mia Mottley), among others. Yesterday Holness said “Cuban doctors in Jamaica have been incredibly helpful to us. Jamaica has a deficit in health personnel, primarily because many of our health personnel have migrated to other countries… We are, however, very careful not to exploit the Cuban doctors who are here”. Rubio said in response that “every country operates their programme differently and… we’re going to engage with [Jamaica] on that”. Rubio, who yesterday in Jamaica held bilateral meetings with Mottley, Trinidad & Tobago’s Prime Minister Stuart Young and the president of Haiti’s transitional presidential council Fritz-Alphonse Jean, now travels to Guyana and Suriname where energy development is set to be a major focus.
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