PM BROWNE SAYS OECS MUST TAP REGIONAL VALUE CHAINS WITH LATIN AMERICA

Prime Minister the Right Honourable Gaston Browne says countries and territories of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) must strengthen trade links and build greater economic resilience through trade links with Latin America.

Prime Minister Browne, who is the new chairman of the OECS Authority, believes the sub-region has yet to fully capitalize on opportunities with its Spanish-speaking neighbours.

The prime minister’s comments come as Antigua and Barbuda moves to expand Spanish language instruction in schools, as part of efforts to strengthen engagement with Latin America. He says the OECS sits within a hemisphere of hundreds of millions of Spanish-speaking people, yet commercial ties with the region remain limited.