PM to Leave Belize for Three Weeks

Prime Minister John Briceño

Prime Minister John Briceño departs on a three-week working visit that will see him attending meetings in various countries across three continents.  He leaves for Brussels on Thursday and concludes his trip in Surinam.  He says that the message that was imparted in Los Angeles during the Summit of the Americas will also be taken to Africa.

Prime Minister, John Briceño

“We will take this message beyond the Americas as we now turn our focus on the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Kigali, Rwanda where I will be speaking on behalf of CARICOM and, of course, Belize.  Tomorrow, I leave for the summit and yes, it is early because I will be in Brussels where I have been invited to attend the EU Development Days conference to discuss development issues.  Only three CARICOM heads have been invited: Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.  In Brussels, I will be meeting with the EU heads of government, including the prime minister of Belgium.  I’ll be pushing for the establishment of an EU delegation in Belize and continue our campaign for visa-free access to the EU.  As you all know, the EU is one of our largest donors and our second largest trading partner.  From Brussels, Belgium, I go Rwanda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit.  There will be the election of the secretary general, Foreign Minister Johnson Smith and Baroness Scotland are vying for the post.  We also have some bilateral [meetings] lined up with Commonwealth partners.  On the way back, I will stop off in Lisbon, Portugal for the World Oceans Summit.  Here, Belize will be featured for our successful negotiation on the Blue Bonds.  I’m also going to be meeting with potential investors on the matter of renewable energy.  We want to see how we can harness all that Sargassum and turn it into electricity.”