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Gopee-Scoon: Summits boost T&T's profile

PORT SPAIN
Trinidad & Tobago Express
Petroleumworldtt.com 10 14 09

This country's economic progress and the planned progression to developed country status by utilising energy resources as a foundation were outlined by Prime Minister Patrick Manning to officials from a number of international energy companies at the United Nations General Assembly session in New York last month, Foreign Affairs Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon said.

She said that Manning was chosen as the guest of honour and featured speaker at a luncheon hosted by Americas Society and the Council of the Americas.

"The focus of Prime Minister Manning's address, to a very highly receptive and select audience of primarily business executives, was Trinidad and Tobago's economic progress and its development agenda as the country forges ahead with the goal of achieving developed country status by the year 2020."

She said that it was in the "context of strategic utilisation of energy resources as a base" upon which this country proposes to bring its developmental "aspirations to fruition".

Gopee-Scoon noted that officials at the meeting included the senior vice chairman of Citigroup International, executives from Texaco International, Chevron, Hewlett-Packard, and several energy companies. She was speaking at Thursday's post-Cabinet press conference held at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's.

Gopee-Scoon also reported that following the session this country has decided to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty as Trinidad and Tobago was a strong supporter of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation efforts, having ratified a treaty for the prohibition of nuclear weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean which created the world's first regional nuclear weapon free zone.

She said that climate change was one of the pressing issues at the session, gaining notoriety amongst all Commonwealth nations. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be hosted in Trinidad next month "can set an appropriate stage for decision making on climate change policy and can assist in consolidating an international position moving forward" to the UN's annual climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark in December, the Minister added.

She said that following a "substantial" number of meetings this country's reputation was growing internationally and "it is very clear that Trinidad and Tobago is emerging not just as a small island developing State but clearly one well on the way to developed status."

Gopee-Scoon said this country was mentioned twice by United States President Barack Obama in his speeches. She recalled receiving praise from the Canadian representative on this country's hosting of the Fifth Summit of the Americas and it was "clearly evident" Trinidad and Tobago was "getting a lot of mileage" out of the international meetings that were being held.

Story by Julien Neaves from Trinidad & Tobago Express

Trinidad & Tobago Express
October 5th 2009

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