By Caribbean News Global 
WASHINGTON, USA – Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Saint Kitts and Nevis on February 25 to participate in the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of heads of government of CARICOM, under the theme “Beyond Words: Action Today for a Thriving, Sustainable CARICOM.”
The opening ceremony will be held on 24 February 2026 at 4:00 p.m. AST at the Marriott Dome, Frigate Bay. Dr Terrance Drew, prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis and current chair, will preside over the meeting, having assumed chairmanship of the community on 1 January 2026.
Secretary-General, Dr Carla Barnett, will deliver the ceremony’s opening remarks. Feature addresses by the chair and other leaders, including the outgoing chair, prime minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica.
Special guests expected to participate include senior officials of the United States government; His Excellency Adel al-Jubeir, minister of state for foreign affairs of Saudi Arabia; and Dr George Elombi, president and chairman of the board of directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
Heads of government are expected to engage in substantive discussions on priority areas. CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), climate change and financing, food and nutrition security, regional security, transportation, reparations, and foreign and community relations.
US Department of State, in a press release on Monday said:
“Secretary Rubio will engage with Caribbean leaders to advance shared priorities, including strengthening regional security, deepening cooperation to combat illegal immigration and illicit trafficking, and promoting economic growth, health, and energy security across the Caribbean.
“During his visit, the secretary will reaffirm the United States’ commitment to working with CARICOM member states to enhance stability and prosperity in our hemisphere.”
If US Secretary Rubio attends CARICOM Summit – let It mark a reset — not a reckoning
Taking into account prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, comments last December relative to CARICOM:
“I advise citizens that the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is not a party to the statement issued by the Bureau of the Conference of Heads of Government.
“CARICOM is not a reliable partner at this time. The fact is that beneath the thin mask of unity, there are many widening issues that, if left unaddressed, will lead to its implosion.
“… Hiding behind the glibness of diplomacy, fake sophistication, and false narratives is self-defeating.
“CARICOM will not determine our future, only the citizens of our country will choose our path,” Persad-Bissessar, will lead a national delegation scheduled to depart Trinidad and Tobago on February 23 and return on February 27, 2026:
- Sean Sobers, minister of foreign and CARICOM affairs; Nicholas Morris, minister in the office of the prime minister; and senior officials of the ministry of foreign and CARICOM affairs.
- Farley Augustine, Tobago House of Assembly chief secretary and a team from Tobago will also form part of the delegation.
Trinidad and Tobago ministry of foreign and CARICOM affairs advised that prime minister Persad-Bissessar will deliver an address at the opening ceremony on February 24, at the Marriott Dome, Frigate Bay.
“On the margins of the meeting, Trinidad and Tobago will pursue a series of bilateral engagements, including discussions with United States officials and representatives of Afreximbank, aimed at strengthening economic cooperation, security, trade, and development,” the government department added: “The government reaffirms its intention to sustain and expand constructive relations with partners in the international community.”
From 25 to 27 February, leaders and heads of delegations will gather at the St Kitts Marriott to consider pressing global and hemispheric issues and their impact on regional priorities. Deliberations will include the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), climate change and financing, food and nutrition security, regional security, transportation, reparations, and foreign and community relations.
The closing media conference will be held at the St Kitts Marriott on the final day, Friday 27 February, at 5:00 pm.
