分类： politics

Against the backdrop of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Antigua and Barbuda has marked a key milestone in expanding its global diplomatic footprint, cementing deeper bilateral ties with Azerbaijan through a new visa waiver agreement. This agreement stood out as one of the most tangible outcomes of a jam-packed, productive week of diplomatic negotiations led by E.P. Chet Greene, the island nation’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on the margins of the annual UN gathering.

The formal signing of the visa waiver accord took place during a dedicated ceremony between Greene and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov. Under the terms of the agreement, eligible passport holders from both countries will no longer be required to secure advance travel visas for visits between the two nations, a change expected to boost people-to-people exchanges, business connectivity and tourism links moving forward.

The visa agreement with Azerbaijan was just one component of Greene’s full schedule of bilateral meetings throughout the UNGA week, during which he engaged with core diplomatic partners of Antigua and Barbuda on a wide range of issues aligned with shared national interests.

A top priority on Greene’s agenda was updating international partners on Antigua and Barbuda’s ongoing preparations to host the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), a landmark gathering for the 56-nation bloc. This preparation work took center stage during Greene’s bilateral discussion with Chris Elmore, UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.

Greene also held a series of productive meetings with diplomatic representatives from multiple African nations, focused on aligning positions on shared global priorities and building support for the candidacy of Maria Espinosa for United Nations Secretary-General. During separate talks with Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Ablakwa and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi, Greene formally introduced Espinosa to the two senior African diplomats to advance her candidacy bid.

In addition, Greene carved out time to meet with Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. The two leaders reviewed Antigua and Barbuda’s foreign policy stances across a range of regional and global issues, and also discussed Espinosa’s candidacy for the top UN post during the conversation. The full week of engagements underscores Antigua and Barbuda’s active role in multilateral diplomacy and its push to strengthen bilateral ties across diverse regions of the world, according to official notes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda.

A high-level delegation from the National Youth Parliament Association of Antigua and Barbuda (NYPAAB) arrived in St. Kitts and Nevis on September 23, kicking off a new round of regional diplomatic engagement centered on expanding youth parliamentary collaboration across the Eastern Caribbean.

Led by NYPAAB President Ezekiel Francois, the visiting delegation includes key organizational leaders: Vice President Rainer Santos Mercado, External Affairs Officer Esther McKenzie, and Celine Edwards, who serves as the Youth Member of Parliament for All Saints East & St. Luke.

This trip coincides with a major milestone for the regional youth parliamentary network: the partner organization in St. Kitts and Nevis is celebrating 25 years of its founding, a testament to the long-running work of youth civic engagement across the bloc. Over the past four years, the partnership between NYPAAB and regional youth parliamentary bodies has already delivered tangible results, with a packed schedule of collaborative activities. These include the 2022 and 2023 regional youth parliamentary sittings, the 2023 Eastern Caribbean Youth Parliamentary Network (ECYPN) gathering, and joint initiatives with the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) that bring parliamentary representatives together to share governance insights, exchange on-the-ground experiences, and deepen cross-border collective action.

As NYPAAB joins its regional counterparts to honor this 25-year milestone, the organization has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to nurturing substantive, mutually beneficial relationships with youth parliamentary groups across the Eastern Caribbean. Beyond collaboration on existing initiatives, the association’s core mission focuses on cultivating a new generation of skilled, informed parliamentary leaders who can shape the future of regional governance and address shared challenges facing young people across the subregion.

On September 24, 2026, in central London, a symbolic act of Commonwealth solidarity took place as Bangladesh’s acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr M. Nazrul Islam, formally handed over a donation of professionally produced flags to Her Excellency Karen-Mae Hill, Antigua and Barbuda’s top diplomatic representative to the UK. The contribution, first pledged earlier this year, will directly support Antigua and Barbuda’s preparations to host the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), scheduled to run from November 1 to 4 in the Caribbean nation.

The donated package includes complete sets of national flags for every member state of the Commonwealth, alongside official Commonwealth organizational flags, covering three distinct formats: indoor display flags, outdoor event flags, and desktop flags for official meetings. All of these banners will be installed across the multiple venues that will host CHOGM sessions, side events, and official receptions during the gathering.

E. P. Chet Greene, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, offered warm praise for the gesture in remarks following the handover. He emphasized that this generous donation embodies the collaborative, purpose-driven partnership that forms the core identity of the Commonwealth bloc, noting that the flags will serve as a visible, meaningful centerpiece of preparations as the country prepares to welcome hundreds of leaders and diplomatic delegates from across the globe.

High Commissioner Hill echoed this gratitude, extending appreciation to Dr Islam, as well as the government and people of Bangladesh for the thoughtful, targeted contribution. She highlighted that the flags are more than just decorative items—they are tangible symbols of the Commonwealth’s core identity: a diverse community of nations bound together by shared values and collective purpose. “They will help bring that spirit to life as we prepare to host this important gathering in Antigua and Barbuda,” Hill added.

Dr Islam expanded on the origin of the donation, explaining that the pledge was first made by Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman, who currently serves as President of the United Nations General Assembly, during the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting (CFAMM) held in London last March. He framed the gift as a reflection of Bangladesh’s longstanding commitment to the Commonwealth community, and pointed out that the flags themselves showcase Bangladesh’s globally recognized high-quality textile manufacturing. “These flags are a token of love from the People of Bangladesh for Antigua and Barbuda and the wider Commonwealth Family,” Dr Islam said, adding that Bangladesh stands in full solidarity with Antigua and Barbuda as it puts the final touches on preparations for the major international summit.

High-level diplomatic engagement between two UN member states has unfolded on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, bringing top foreign policy leaders of Pakistan and Antigua and Barbuda together for bilateral discussions.

Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, who serves as both Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, sat down for the meeting with His Excellency E.P. Chet Greene, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Barbuda Affairs. The gathering, which took place during the annual high-level week of the UN General Assembly, comes as part of the wide slate of bilateral negotiations that regularly occur between world leaders when they gather in New York for the global policy gathering. These sideline meetings have long served as key opportunities for nations of different sizes and regional backgrounds to strengthen bilateral ties, align on shared global priorities, and discuss areas of potential future cooperation outside the formal schedule of General Assembly debates.

On the sidelines of this year’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, top political leaders from across the Eastern Caribbean gathered Thursday for high-stakes discussions with a senior European Union official, centered on a contentious mandate to scrap regional citizenship-by-investment programs by 2028.

The European Commission formally issued the demand earlier, requiring all Eastern Caribbean nations that operate these programs to wind them down entirely by the June 2028 deadline. In response, regional officials organized the closed-door meeting with Magnus Brunner, the EU’s Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, to voice their shared position on the policy.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne was among the key regional leaders in attendance, alongside Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre. Both leaders stressed during the talks that citizenship-by-investment initiatives have long served as a critical lifeline of development funding for small island economies across the Eastern Caribbean. For these nations, revenue generated through the programs has supported critical infrastructure projects, public service expansions, and economic resilience efforts that would otherwise be difficult to fund through traditional tax streams.

The delegation called for ongoing, constructive negotiations to craft a transition plan that balances two competing sets of priorities: addressing the security concerns that the EU has cited to justify the phase-out, while also protecting the fragile economic interests of Eastern Caribbean states that rely on program revenue.

Other senior officials participating in the meeting included Timothy Antoine, Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, and Didacus Jules, Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. According to an official statement released by the government of Saint Lucia following the talks, no binding agreement was reached, and no adjustment to the Commission’s proposed 2028 phase-out deadline was announced during the gathering. The discussion is expected to pave the way for future consultations between the two blocs as the deadline approaches.

On September 23, 2026, a high-stakes gathering of the India-CARICOM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting took place in New York, convened on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Co-chaired by India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and Cooperation Melvin W. J. Bouva, the meeting brought together senior diplomatic representatives from 14 CARICOM member states alongside CARICOM Secretary General Dr. Carla Natalie Barnett. Attendees included foreign ministers from Barbados, Dominica, the Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, St. Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda, alongside Grenada’s finance minister and the chief executive officer of Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This diplomatic session was designed as a formal follow-up to the second India-CARICOM Summit, hosted in Guyana in November 2024 and led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and regional CARICOM heads of government. From the opening of discussions, both sides voiced clear satisfaction with the consistent, steady advancement of collaborative ties between India and the Caribbean Community bloc, laying out a broad agenda to expand partnership across multiple priority areas.

Dialogue covered multiple pillars of engagement, starting with deepening high-level political exchanges between the two sides. Participants also explored pathways to boost bilateral trade volumes and attract new cross-regional investment, while mapping out cooperative frameworks in critical sectors including agriculture and global food security, digital public governance, climate change resilience, and sustainable energy development.

CARICOM representatives used the meeting to publicly recognize the meaningful impact of India’s longstanding development partnership across the Caribbean region, and praised New Delhi’s ongoing efforts to strengthen collective South-South cooperation between emerging and developing economies. On the multilateral front, the two blocs aligned on priorities for joint collaboration in international forums, agreeing to continue coordinated action on core global challenges including comprehensive United Nations system reform, collective climate action, counter-terrorism efforts, and the fight against transnational organized crime.

A key announcement emerged from the session when CARICOM’s co-chair confirmed the bloc’s collective decision to formally back India’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2028-2029 term. In response, Jaishankar thanked CARICOM member states for their trust and public support, affirming that if elected, India will serve as a strong, unwavering voice for the entire Global South in the UN’s top security body.

In closing, the meeting underscored the shared commitment of both India and the CARICOM bloc to deepen their bilateral ties and advance coordinated action on global issues that impact developing nations across the Global South.

On the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, two nations separated by thousands of miles — Azerbaijan and the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda — have marked a major milestone in their diplomatic relationship with the signing of two landmark agreements that establish full mutual visa exemption for all passport types. The deals, covering holders of diplomatic, official/service and ordinary passports, were formalized in a signing ceremony between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Everly Paul Chet Greene, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Barbuda Affairs.

During the bilateral meeting leading up to the signing, the top diplomats from both countries conducted a comprehensive review of the current trajectory of Azerbaijan-Antigua and Barbuda relations, and mapped out a strategic path for future cooperation. The talks prioritized two core priorities: deepening high-level political dialogue and increasing the frequency of official and informal mutual visits between the two states. Beyond bilateral collaboration, the pair also explored opportunities to expand joint work outside their existing cooperation frameworks within multilateral bodies, including the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement, where both nations hold active memberships.

The confirmation of the signing was shared publicly by Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry via an official post on the social platform X, which clarified that the two agreements were signed as separate documents: one covering diplomatic and official/service passport holders, and a second standalone agreement extending the visa waiver to ordinary passport holders for travel purposes.

Per official immigration data from Antigua and Barbuda, the Caribbean nation had already unilaterally granted visa-free entry to Azerbaijani citizens prior to the new agreement. The newly formalized mutual arrangement is projected to unlock a wide range of benefits for both countries: it will streamline travel for official government delegations, remove barriers to informal people-to-people exchanges, and create more favorable conditions for growth in bilateral tourism and cultural connections.

This signing is part of Azerbaijan’s broader diplomatic push during this year’s UN General Assembly session, where the country has prioritized advancing a slate of bilateral agreements and expanding its global diplomatic network. Just days before the deal with Antigua and Barbuda, on September 23, Minister Bayramov also signed a reciprocal visa exemption agreement with Bangladesh that applies to holders of diplomatic, official and service passports, marking another step forward in Azerbaijan’s efforts to deepen its international ties.

Diplomatic discussions between the United Arab Emirates and Antigua and Barbuda took place this week on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly session in New York, bringing together top leadership from both nations to advance bilateral ties. His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, led the UAE delegation in a meeting with Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.

Beyond bilateral cooperation, the two leaders also delved into a range of key priority items featured on the official UNGA 81 agenda, exchanging perspectives on global issues that matter to both small island nations and broader international stakeholders.

During the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah reaffirmed the UAE’s long-standing commitment to deepening collaborative partnerships with Antigua and Barbuda. He emphasized that the goal of this strengthened cooperation is to advance shared mutual interests for both countries and deliver tangible gains that drive greater prosperity for the people of both nations.

The high-level meeting included several senior UAE officials in addition to Sheikh Abdullah. Attendees were Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade; and Omar Shehadeh, Envoy of the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Caribbean and Pacific States.