St John’s, Antigua — Armand Arton, has been appointed special economic envoy to the Gulf Cooperation Council by Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda. Arton joins the likes of Hollywood icon Robert De Niro and billionaire financier Martin Franklin, who were appointed in December 2014.
Commenting on Arton’s appointment, Browne said: “I am delighted to announce that Armand Arton will act as a special economic Envoy for our country. My government feels that Mr Arton’s knowledge and expertise in the field of economic citizenship will be beneficial in helping us to achieve our vision of positioning Antigua and Barbuda as a best practice model for citizenship and residency programmes in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and beyond.”
In his role as a special economic envoy, Arton’s role is to attract foreign direct investment to Antigua and Barbuda by advocating the country’s citizenship by investment programme. One of the most recent achievements by Arton in this regard is attracting Sheikh Al Qassimi as a strategic investor in the Callaloo Bay real estate project on the island.
“The commitment to Antigua and Barbuda is aligned with Arton’s multifold strategy of developing a sustainable future for the industry,” according to the country’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Casroy James. In 2014 alone, the company published three specialized reports, in collaboration with prominent partners and organizations. The findings of these papers are now available to industry stakeholders, who can utilize them in the process of technical analysis and strategizing, as well as to the general public
Commenting on his nomination, Arton said: “Promoting global citizenship as a way of life comes with certain responsibilities. It is our obligation to advocate transparency and to nurture best industry practices so that global citizen programmes can play their primary role in the modern economy – serve as a means for sustainable development and strengthening multicultural dialogue.”