Last Updated on February 28, 2026, 5:15 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis has recently undertaken a series of visits to the various nations who form part of the CARICOM. During these meetings, Dr Drew met with the Prime Ministers and heads of the governments of these nations. The meetings, ahead of the 50th regular meeting of the CARICOM heads in St Kitts and Nevis was part of Dr Drew’s outreach effort.
Dr Terrance Drew, who currently handles the responsibility for the Chairmanship of the Caribbean Community. The meetings were aimed towards building consensus with the regional heads before the meeting could be done in a formal setting.
To several critics, these visits seemed to be unnecessary. Some of the critics even argued that these meetings could have been cone over zoom and telephones. However, these arguments fail to take into account the importance of face to face diplomacy.
The world is changing rapidly and technology has taken over many aspects of governance and leadership. While Zoom may have been a more cost efficient option however, the face to face interactions can be seen as an opportunity for laying more solid groundwork for more formal events.
As the chairperson of the Caribbean Community, it is his responsibility to make sure that the leaders across the region feel heard and understood. In this regard, the in person meetings would be more successful than the ones that the leaders have on zoom.
In the real world, personal attention can often be the make or break in a relationship. Such an outlook would also be true for political, regional and international relations. At a tome when the geopolitical world is evolving so rapidly, the individual face to face meetings may have served as platform for better, more fruitful discussions.
The meetings have allowed space for sensitive topics to be discussed more openly. The meetings have made sure that when these leaders come together for formal summits, they are able to take decisive actions on matters discussed previously, and not starting for zero on formal tables.
The summits are more often publicly arranged, not allowing for intimate discussions to take place. As such, the pre summit meetings were not only a smart idea, it may even have increased the main event’s productivity.
The critics of the Prime Minister’s visits are thinking of the short term gains of using technology, however, in the long term, the visibility of the chairperson will be able to inspire more confidence within the region.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
