Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says in spite of its many challenges, T&T continues to evolve into a great nation.
In a message to commemorate 47 years as a Republic today, he said the singular honour of assuming the Presidency of the General Assembly of the United Nations for the next year proved, “That though we are geographically small we are not insignificant.”
His Excellency Dennis Francis, T&T’s Ambassador to the United Nations, will sit in the president’s chair over this country’s term.
PM Rowley said, “Presiding over the world body, during this period, which analysts have described as the most fraught and dangerous, since the end of the Cold War, is expected to be extremely demanding for Trinidad and Tobago.
“Our presidency of the UN, therefore, should hold every citizen’s personal and daily attention, as it validates our Republic’s status on the world stage–a place that once encouraged cooperation and globalisation is now becoming increasingly fragile and fragmented, with minute-by-minute messages on, wars, climate changes, food crisis, rising poverty, migration, inequality, the universal pandemic, economic pessimism, disappearing opportunities, fake news, social tensions, and identity politics.”
He said that immediately following this achievement at the UN, the Government was able to sign an historic, inter-institutional agreement with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which will promote joint projects in gaseous hydrocarbons in the Dragon field located in that country’s territorial waters.
The PM said T&T had also finalised negotiations with Bp and Shell for exploration and production of natural gas in three deepwater blocks which he hailed as a frontier development project.
Paying tribute to the outstanding performance of local athletes at the recent Commonwealth Youth Games which was hosted in T&T and saw over 1,000 performers from 71 countries participating–PM Rowley praised Nikoli Blackman who won three gold medals in swimming and later broke the national 50m freestyle record.
“The haul of medals of these young citizens was our largest ever at these games,” he boasted.
He commended Nicholas Paul after he became the country’s most decorated cyclist internationally after he won the silver medal in the men’s sprint at the World Cycling Championships in Scotland.
These recent events are plumes which should bring us all moments of pride and jubilation, the PM said, “but there remain, menacing issues of crime, violence, the scripted promotion by some elements intended to create mischief, apathy, institutional distrust, and societal discord”.
He said, “We must speak out against those among us, who are bent on lives of crime, and those who will never encourage citizens to accept both their individual and collective, social responsibility.”