Foreign relations of Trinidad and Tobago
Encyclopedia
Modern Trinidad and Tobago
maintains close relations with its Caribbean
neighbors and major North American and European trading partners. As the most industrialized and second-largest country in the English-speaking Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago has taken a leading role in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
, and strongly supports CARICOM economic integration efforts. It also is active in the Summit of the Americas
process and supports the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Americas
, lobbying other nations for seating the Secretariat in Port of Spain
.
As a member of CARICOM, Trinidad and Tobago strongly backed efforts by the United States
to bring political stability to Haiti
, contributing personnel to the Multinational Force in 1994. After its 1962 independence, Trinidad and Tobago joined the UN and the Commonwealth
. In 1967, it became the first Commonwealth country to join the Organization of American States
(OAS). In 1995, Trinidad played host to the inaugural meeting of the Association of Caribbean States
and has become the seat of this 35-member grouping, which seeks to further economic progress and integration among its states.
In international forums, Trinidad and Tobago has defined itself as having an independent voting record, but often supports U.S. and EU positions.
Trinidad and Tobago has historically been a trans-shipment point for South America
n drugs destined for the United States and Europe
. This has created much tension in the country's politics.
Trinidad and Tobago is also a member-state of the International Criminal Court
, without a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US
-military (as covered under Article 98
)
over access for Barbadian fishermen into Trinidadian territorial waters.
and Trinidad and Tobago
have existed for about two hundred years. Currently, France has an embassy in Port of Spain
. Trinidad and Tobago is represented in France through its embassy in Brussels
(Belgium
). Trinidad and Tobago also has bilateral investment agreements with France.
. Both countries have interests with each other since the Soviet Union
. In August 1992, Trinidad recognized Russia as the USSR's successor. In 2004, Sergey Lavrov
and Knowlson Gift
signed the protocol on the political consultations between the two Ministries. In April 2005 the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago signed the cooperation agreement. In 2004, the Russian Cossack
folk dance had nine concerts in Port of Spain
, San Fernando
, Couva
, and Tobago
in 1962, replacing the former consulate general.
n National Guard. In addition, there is a serious potential for conflict with Venezuela over the exploitation of cross-border petroleum
reserves.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
maintains close relations with its Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
neighbors and major North American and European trading partners. As the most industrialized and second-largest country in the English-speaking Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago has taken a leading role in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Caribbean Community
The Caribbean Community is an organisation of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies. CARICOM's main purposes are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy...
, and strongly supports CARICOM economic integration efforts. It also is active in the Summit of the Americas
Summit of the Americas
The Summits of the Americas is a series of international summit meetings bringing together the leaders of countries in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Neither the elderly leader nor a representative from Cuba participated in this summit...
process and supports the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Americas
Free Trade Area of the Americas
The Free Trade Area of the Americas , , ) was a proposed agreement to eliminate or reduce the trade barriers among all countries in the Americas but Cuba. In the last round of negotiations, trade ministers from 34 countries met in Miami, United States, in November 2003 to discuss the proposal...
, lobbying other nations for seating the Secretariat in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
.
As a member of CARICOM, Trinidad and Tobago strongly backed efforts by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to bring political stability to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, contributing personnel to the Multinational Force in 1994. After its 1962 independence, Trinidad and Tobago joined the UN and the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
. In 1967, it became the first Commonwealth country to join the Organization of American States
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
(OAS). In 1995, Trinidad played host to the inaugural meeting of the Association of Caribbean States
Association of Caribbean States
The Association of Caribbean States was formed with the aim of promoting consultation, cooperation, and concerted action among all the countries of the Caribbean. It comprises twenty-five member states and four associate members...
and has become the seat of this 35-member grouping, which seeks to further economic progress and integration among its states.
In international forums, Trinidad and Tobago has defined itself as having an independent voting record, but often supports U.S. and EU positions.
Trinidad and Tobago has historically been a trans-shipment point for South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n drugs destined for the United States and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. This has created much tension in the country's politics.
Trinidad and Tobago is also a member-state of the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
, without a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-military (as covered under Article 98
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court . It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome on 17 July 1998 and it entered into force on 1 July 2002. As of 13 October 2011, 119 states are party to the statute...
)
Barbados
There have been recent disputes between Trinidad and Tobago and BarbadosBarbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
over access for Barbadian fishermen into Trinidadian territorial waters.
France
Bilateral relations between the countries FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
have existed for about two hundred years. Currently, France has an embassy in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
. Trinidad and Tobago is represented in France through its embassy in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
). Trinidad and Tobago also has bilateral investment agreements with France.
Russia
Both countries have signed diplomatic missions on June 6, 1974. Russia is represented in Trinidad and Tobago through a non-resident embassy in Georgetown (Guyana)Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
. Both countries have interests with each other since the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. In August 1992, Trinidad recognized Russia as the USSR's successor. In 2004, Sergey Lavrov
Sergey Lavrov
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov is the Foreign Minister of Russia. Prior to that, Lavrov was a Soviet diplomat and Russia's ambassador to the United Nations from 1994 to 2004. Lavrov speaks Russian, English, French and Sinhala....
and Knowlson Gift
Knowlson Gift
Knowlson Gift is a politician in Trinidad and Tobago. He is a member of the People's National Movement. Gift served as foreign minister between May 7 and May 17, 1995, but resigned in the face of allegations of financial improprieties at the end of his stint as High Commissioner to Jamaica, where...
signed the protocol on the political consultations between the two Ministries. In April 2005 the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago signed the cooperation agreement. In 2004, the Russian Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
folk dance had nine concerts in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, San Fernando
San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago
The City of San Fernando with a population of 55,419 according to the 2000 census, is the larger of Trinidad and Tobago's two cities and the second largest municipality after Chaguanas. It occupies 18 km² and is located in the southwestern part of the island of Trinidad...
, Couva
Couva
Couva is a town in west-central Trinidad, south of Chaguanas and north of Claxton Bay and San Fernando. The Greater Couva area includes the Point Lisas Industrial Estate and the Port of Point Lisas. Couva's southern boundary is at the town of California, and to the north Couva stretches to McBean...
, and Tobago
Tobago
Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
United States
The United States and Trinidad and Tobago enjoy cordial relations. U.S. interests there and throughout the hemisphere focus on increasing investment and trade, and ensuring more stable supplies of energy. They also include enhancing Trinidad and Tobago's political and social stability and positive regional role through assistance in drug interdiction, health issues, and legal affairs. The U.S. embassy was established in Port of SpainPort of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
in 1962, replacing the former consulate general.
Venezuela
There is a long history of problems between Trinidadian fishermen and the VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n National Guard. In addition, there is a serious potential for conflict with Venezuela over the exploitation of cross-border petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
reserves.
See also
- List of diplomatic missions in Trinidad and Tobago
- List of diplomatic missions of Trinidad and Tobago
- Trinidad and Tobago passportTrinidad and Tobago passportTrinidad and Tobago passports are issued to citizens of Trinidad and Tobago for international travel; allowing the passport bearer to travel to foreign countries in accordance to stipulated visa requirements...
- War on DrugsWar on DrugsThe War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...