Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago ease immigration tensions and avert Trade crisis

Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago – the two largest economies in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), have signed an agreement outlining a path to improve free trade and free movement between the two countries.

“I think we have created a platform for addressing not only the issues which brought this meeting together, but for a wider set of considerations, both in our bilateral relations, and in the relations within the wider CARICOM,” Trinidad & Tobago’s Foreign Minister Winston Dookeran said in a statement.

He said he had also extended an invitation to his counterpart, Arnold J. Nicholson to visit Trinidad & Tobago by the end of the first quarter of 2014 for further consultations, having recognized the need to follow up on agreements coming out of these last 2 days.

Dookeran had been invited to Kingston for talks by Nicholson after Trinidad & Tobago had refused entry to 13 Jamaican nationals last month that had escalated into a threat of a trade war between the two CARICOM member states.

Jamaica had been critical of the decision and had issued a warning to nationals travelling to Trinidad & Tobago saying it was also concerned at this development and was continuing to interface with the relevant authorities in the twin-island republic on the matter particularly in light of the Shanique Myrie ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice.

“Given the paradigm shift in immigration law and procedures in relation to the treatment of CARICOM nationals entering countries of the region, both our countries recognized the need for a common approach and interpretation of the law,” Nicholson told reporters at the end of the talks on Tuesday. -(CMC)