Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ profile on the international stage, especially as it relates to the fight against climate change, was underlined earlier this week when he led a delegation that met with US Vice President, Mike Pence in Washington D.C.
Holness was invited to meet with Pence following, Jamaica‘s participation in the United Nations General Assembly, and his leading role at the UN Climate Change Summit in New York.
The meeting was held to explore ways to strengthen and deepen the bilateral relations between the US and Jamaica, focusing on resilience building for climate disasters, increasing trade and investment, energy security, and national security said a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM),
Holness was reportedly “very pleased” with the meeting, and said:
“Jamaica/US relations have all been strong on a people level, and the US has always been an important partner in Jamaica’s economic and social development. With our successful completion of the IMF programme the country must now focus on increasing trade and investment, technology transfer, and building resilience.”
Holness added that “The United States is our largest trading partner. They are the largest economy and they are right on our doorstep. Already, there are several programmes and recent initiatives between Jamaica and the US, however, we believe much more can be done to leverage this relationship to support Jamaica’s growth and development.”
The meeting took on Monday, at the White House.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Minister of Finance, Dr Nigel Clarke, Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. Rocky Meade, Jamaica’s Ambassadors to the USA, Audrey Marks, and Parliamentary Secretary, Senator Robert Morgan.
Newly-appointed US ambassador to Jamaica, Donald Tapia was also present
