PRIME MINISTER GOES TO WASHINGTON
18 January 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C., 17 January 20223 – Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis met earlier today with Vice President Kamala Harris at The White House to discuss a number of issues facing The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean region.
The United States reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening partnerships with The Bahamas and with the nations and the people of The Caribbean.
In discussing items relating to the bilateral relationship between The Bahamas and the United States, the Prime Minister and the Vice President emphasized the importance of both strengthening efforts to combat illegal maritime migration and reducing the flow of guns illegally entering The Bahamas from the United States.
The Prime Minister also raised the importance of reinstating pre-clearance facilities in Grand Bahama, a critical step to support the island’s economic recovery.
The discussion widened to cover a number of regional issues, including food and energy security, and efforts to combat climate change.
As Chairman of CARICOM, the Prime Minister believes it is important for the United States and other partners in the hemisphere to support Haitian-led efforts to stabilize that country and find a path forward out of the crisis.
The principal reason for the Prime Minister’s current visit to D.C. is a protocolary meeting on Wednesday, February 18, by the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) in the Hall of the Americas at OAS headquarters at 17th Street & Constitution Avenue, N.W., to receive the Prime Minister, who assumed the chairmanship of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for the next six months on Sunday, January 1, 2023.
One Tuesday night, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell attended a reception hosted by the Embassy of The Bahamas and the Bahamas Embassy Consular Annex for Bahamians in the diaspora.