[naviga:h1 style=”line-height: 1.56; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;” dir=”ltr”]ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – The government of the Commonwealth of Dominica  has expressed concern about the situation along the Russian Federation-Ukraine border.[/naviga:h1]

In a statement issued on Saturday, Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit  said the tension between both nations needs to be addressed.

“We believe that the issues relating to tensions between Russia and Ukraine need to be addressed through diplomatic efforts. A military solution will not redound to the benefit of any nation.”

“The matter poses a threat to international peace and security and will lead to unprecedented implications for the global community. The world can ill-afford armed conflict during this period of global uncertainty, which will result in adverse social and economic impacts; and political strife,” the prime Minister noted.

“Dominica calls for de-escalation dialogue to ease tensions and secure a nonviolent resolution to the conflict; and the charting of a path to peace for the safety and security of all,” Skerrit said.

In a recent move, United States President Joe Biden announced that he will be sending additional troops to Europe this week amid ongoing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

However, Moscow has also placed an estimated 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders but denies plans to invade. It is adamantly opposed to Ukraine being a member of the Nato military alliance.

Eight years ago, Russia grabbed Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula and backed a deadly rebellion in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass area, causing tensions.

Moscow accuses Ukraine of failing to follow the Minsk Agreement, an international agreement aimed at restoring peace in the east, where Russian-backed separatists controlled large swaths of land and at least 14,000 people have been killed since 2014.

According to the US government, the US troops stationed in Ukraine will not fight in Ukraine, but rather, protect their friends.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, says the Government is taking steps to institute a multi-million dollar reward fund for information leading to the recovery of illegal firearms. 

“Right now, the target is to establish $250 million in a fund. That will significantly increase the reward for information leading to the recovery of illegal firearms, and [earmark] even more reward for information provided that leads to the arrest of persons involved with or in possession of illegal firearms. We have started to make the arrangements for that provisioning of the fund, and we will be asking for private sector support,” Holness said. 

He was speaking during the official opening of the Andrews Mews Recreational Centre in Kingston on Friday (February 4). 

The Prime Minister said the initiative presents the opportunity for persons to “get rid of the criminals out of your community”, while noting that payouts could range between $250,000 and $500,000.

This endeavour is being undertaken following the Government’s roll out of the ‘Operation Get Every Illegal Gun’ campaign. 

“In a few days, we will take a new Illegal Firearms Bill to Parliament which will create several new offences, in addition to possession, which, when taken together, will make it very risky to have anything to do with a gun or a gunman,” Holness stated. 

In this regard, the Prime Minister urged persons in possession of illegal weapons to turn themselves in to the police and encouraged well-thinking Jamaicans to use the information channels available to provide information on where illegal guns can be recovered and gunmen arrested.

“Presently, the risk for owning an illegal gun is relatively low, compared to the benefit that a gunman gets. With the new policies, laws and capabilities coming into effect, the risk of being involved, in any way, with an illegal gun or a gunman, will far outweigh any perceived benefit from possessing an illegal gun,” he stated.  

Persons with information can call Crime Stop at 311 or the Police at 119.

[naviga:h1 style=”line-height: 1.872; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;” dir=”ltr”]ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – The government of the Commonwealth of Dominica  has expressed concern about the situation along the Russian Federation-Ukraine border.[/naviga:h1]

In a statement issued on Saturday, Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit  said the tension between both nations needs to be addressed.

“We believe that the issues relating to tensions between Russia and Ukraine need to be addressed through diplomatic efforts. A military solution will not redound to the benefit of any nation.”

“The matter poses a threat to international peace and security and will lead to unprecedented implications for the global community. The world can ill-afford armed conflict during this period of global uncertainty, which will result in adverse social and economic impacts; and political strife,” the prime Minister noted.

“Dominica calls for de-escalation dialogue to ease tensions and secure a nonviolent resolution to the conflict; and the charting of a path to peace for the safety and security of all,” Skerrit said.

In a recent move, United States President Joe Biden announced that he will be sending additional troops to Europe this week amid ongoing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

However, Moscow has also placed an estimated 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders but denies plans to invade. It is adamantly opposed to Ukraine being a member of the Nato military alliance.

Eight years ago, Russia grabbed Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula and backed a deadly rebellion in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass area, causing tensions.

Moscow accuses Ukraine of failing to follow the Minsk Agreement, an international agreement aimed at restoring peace in the east, where Russian-backed separatists controlled large swaths of land and at least 14,000 people have been killed since 2014.

According to the US government, the US troops stationed in Ukraine will not fight in Ukraine, but rather, protect their friends.