PM Douglas hails leadership of US President in the area of security

St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas (left) and United States President the Hon. Barack Obama (File photo)

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, APRIL 16TH 2012(CUOPM) – St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas has lauded the leadership of United States President the Hon. Barack Obama.

In a statement at the just concluded Sixth Summit of the America’s in Cartagena, Colombia, the St. Kitts and Nevis leader said President Obama’s leadership of the United States over the past four years, reflects the fidelity of the President to keeping commitments made at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad &Tobago, as both instructive and inspiring.

“As a result, in the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, we see the spirit of true US/Caribbean partnership at last receiving the depth of commitment that it has long deserved. Dialogue that has been institutionalized. Capacity-building mechanisms are now key features of this partnership. And Caribbean states have been imbued with a confidence that augurs well for our region, and undergirds our determination to continue building on this critical foundation, launched when last we met, indeed, in the precursor to this forum,” said Prime Minister Douglas.

He said St. Kitts and Nevis ensures the security of all of its citizens by faithfully adhering to all the regional and international conventions to which it subscribes, and by cooperating with its neighbors, throughout the Americas, in upholding hemispheric ideals.

“Indeed, small states such as ours, surrounded as we are by open maritime borders, invest significant percentages of our national budgets to this end. Addressing the challenges of firearms and drug-trafficking, gang culture, and other forms of crime is key to ensuring the safety and freedom of our citizens,” said Dr. Douglas.

He said simply put, it is a crucial investment in the very survival of St. Kitts and Nevis.

“Our commitment to security is therefore unshakable given our awareness that with the enhanced security of each state, our respective national borders become safer; our people are less exposed to routine insecurities and, in the process, this all redounds to the overall benefit of our hemisphere,” said Prime Minister Douglas.