BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Federal Cabinet and the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) held a special joint session today (Mar. 17) to reinforcing the importance of dialogue and cooperation for the benefit of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The meeting, held at the Park Hyatt, brought together all ministers from both islands, except for Foreign Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas, who is currently on an official visit to Taiwan.
Speaking to the media, Premier of Nevis and Leader of the Opposition Mark Brantley highlighted the significance of open communication between the two administrations, stressing that progress cannot be achieved without continuous dialogue on critical matters.
“When there are problems, dialogue is important, and even in good times, dialogue is important,” Brantley stated.
Reflecting on their first joint meeting after the federal government took office, Brantley recalled a shared agreement with Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew on the need for “greater dialogue, greater cooperation between the island of Nevis and the island of St. Kitts, and between the Nevis Island Administration and the Federal Administration”
“I believe that if we are fair, we will conclude that the relationship thus far has worked well, and the reason behind the need for continued dialogue is that we want it to work even better,”he added.
Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew acknowledged the political differences between the two administrations but emphasized that shared national interests unite them—especially in matters concerning the well-being and development of the people.
Over the past year, both governments have worked together on key issues, including crime and violence, geothermal energy, and climate change.
“We have had very positive results, and I keep saying that all of us share in those results, because all of us participated. That is an example of what we can achieve if we decide to work together,” Dr Drew noted.
One major area of cooperation is the geothermal energy project in Nevis, which has received international recognition, including from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“The geothermal [project]] has the potential to transform St. Kitts and Nevis, and we are not just saying that. If you look at the IMF analysis of the situation in 2023, you would recognise that they are saying that this can transform us so much that we can totally move away from CBI if we were to choose to,” explained the prime minister.
As the government seeks to reduce dependency on the CBI programme, Dr. Drew described geothermal energy as a gateway to a more self-sustaining and independent economy.
“We have seen the challenges that we have had with the CBI over and over again, that we have had to confront dealing with the issues that are raised, and have dialogues after dialogues with our international partners to show them how serious we are in making sure that their interests are also represented in our CBI programme,” he said.
However, the prime minister reiterated the importance of economic diversification, a strategy his administration refers to as SEED (Sustainable Economic Expansion and Diversification).
“How do we diversify the economy so that we no longer depend so heavily on the CBI? Though the CBI is very important, and we have to always remember that, it is not to discard it, but to make sure that our economy is so diversified that our vulnerabilities are decreased and our resilience is increased,” Dr. Drew emphasized.
