Prime Minister Gaston Browne Calls for Dialogue in Letter to U.S. President 

ST. JOHN, Antigua and Barbuda, 19th November 2025….…. Prime Minister Gaston Browne has written to U.S. President Donald J. Trump expressing Antigua and Barbuda’s concern over the growing military build-up in international waters shared by Caribbean States. He has called for renewed diplomatic engagement between the U.S and Venezuela to prevent escalation in the Caribbean region.

In his letter, Prime Minister Browne reaffirmed the Caribbean’s longstanding commitment to being a Zone of Peace, noting that the region has earned its reputation as one of the few places in the world where calm and stability still offer respite in an increasingly turbulent international environment.

He emphasized that the economies of Caribbean small states — particularly tourism-dependent nations — are highly vulnerable to geopolitical tensions. “A hint of armed confrontation in our waters reverberates instantly through hotel bookings, airlines, foreign investment, and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of families,” the Prime Minister wrote. Military action near Caribbean shores, he warned, could cast “a long shadow” over an industry central to regional development and economic security.

Prime Minister Browne urged President Trump to “follow your instincts which, as far as I have seen, are rooted in dialogue and negotiation,” highlighting that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has signalled willingness to engage in direct discussions. He emphasised that diplomacy, though sometimes slow and imperfect, “delivers fewer sorrows than the alternatives.”

Details in the ABS Evening News at 7.