Prior to his departure for Riyadh, where a Summit between the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the Middle Eastern country will take place tomorrow, he revealed that he expects to have a productive and successful meeting with beneficial results.
Antigua News Room website reports that some of the issues to be discussed are the deepening of the regional bloc’s relations with the Arab nation to support the sustainability of the Community’s development objectives through the coordinated use of financial, technical and human resources.
Other topics of interest include World Expo 2030, strengthening relations between Caricom and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, agriculture and food security, transportation, renewable energy and climate change, finance, tourism, investment, education and health.
The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, for his part, said he will seek to establish collaboration with Saudi Arabia in a number of areas including the development of public health infrastructure, the improvement of public health delivery systems, and the improvement of basic education, technical and vocational training.
He noted that his team will submit an application for a scholarship program for Antiguan students to pursue undergraduate studies in the Arab nation, which will facilitate knowledge exchange and cultural understanding. “We also believe that we can develop collaborative initiatives and academic research through the exchange of teachers and the development of educational infrastructure,” he said.
“In the area of health, we believe we can cooperate in the development of health care infrastructure, including the construction and improvement of clinics, laboratories and treatment facilities, as well as enhancing medical training opportunities,” he further noted.
Browne is also expected to seek further collaboration in the areas of technologies for early detection and treatment of non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular conditions.
ef/abo/mem/ifs
