T&T PM set to meet Trump

Secures invite to Shield of the Americas Summit by US President

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has been invited by United States President Donald Trump to attend what has been dubbed the Shield of the Americas summit in Doral, Florida, signalling deepening engagement between Trinidad and Tobago and Washington. News of the invitation emerged after her private meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the 50th Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Basseterre, St. Kitts, yesterday.

Following the early-morning plenary session, Persad-Bissessar left for bilateral talks with Rubio. When Guardian Media spoke to her shortly afterwards, she said she had limited details, as the invitation had just come to her attention, but expressed optimism about what lies ahead. “All for the benefit of the people of T&T. Whatever we do is for the benefit—security, trade, prosperity, and of course safety,” she said. Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali, offered further context, indicating the focus will be on regional security cooperation. “This is a meeting dealing with security matters; it’s dealing with some of the challenges in the region, and we're seeing how we can coordinate better in relation to those challenges, and this is an engagement that has been ongoing.”

Persad-Bissessar had earlier indicated that T&T and Guyana were the only two countries confirmed to attend. However, Ali stopped short of commenting on the broader guest list. “I’m not aware of who’s present or who will not be present. I can speak about Guyana. And Guyana has been invited to this meeting, and we will be attending.”

Refinery revival tops talks between Rubio, Kamla

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says restarting the former Petrotrin (Guaracara) refinery was a central focus of her bilateral meeting with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as T&T seeks to deepen energy and security cooperation with Washington. The talks took place on the sidelines of the 50th Regular Meeting of Caricom Heads of Government in Basseterre, St. Kitts, where regional leaders gathered amid growing geopolitical tensions and shifting alliances across the Americas.

Speaking with reporters shortly after the meeting, Persad-Bissessar said the discussions built on previous engagements with US officials. “We followed up on some of those discussions for further cooperation in energy and in security,” she said. “We discussed the reopening of the Trinidad (Petrotrin) refinery. As you know, we have been very serious about getting that refinery reopened.”

The refinery, once a pillar of the country’s economy, has been shuttered since 2018, with the People’s National Movement engaging in talks to lease the facility before being voted out of office. Persad-Bissessar said Rubio committed to assisting in advancing her administration’s plans for the refinery. “He agreed that he would put us on to their Department of Energy to assist us in seeking to find the best partner to open that refinery,” she explained. The Prime Minister noted that several entities have already expressed interest. She said Minister of Energy Dr. Roodal Moonilal has met with one prospective partner, while she also held discussions with another in St. Kitts. Additional bilateral talks were scheduled, including with representatives of the African Export-Import Bank. “Of course, at the end of the day, we’ll choose the best that we think we can get,” she said.

I luv that! 😎

that was a powerful speech by Kamla at the summit.