BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – The Caribbean Community (Caricom) Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) has reaffirmed its commitment to regional integration and the  Caricom  Single Market and Economy (CSME) in light of the ongoing spat involving regional leaders and the future direction of the 15-member grouping.

In a statement, the CPSO said since it  became an “associate institution” within Caricom, it has worked with fellow private sector companies and business organisations “to  advance projects and representations to pursue the noble objectives of the CSME,” which allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services across the region. The  CPSO said that the CSME has “delivered tangible benefits to firms and workers throughout the region, supporting significant intra-regional trade, strengthening regional supply chains and contributing meaningfully to foreign exchange earnings and economic activity in member states, including Trinidad and Tobago”.

In recent days, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has called on Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister  Persad-Bissessar to “produce the evidence” that Caricom, including Antigua and Barbuda, had aligned itself with “the Maduro narco government headed by a dictator” in Venezuela.

She said that Venezuela has been threatening to invade Guyana for years and since last June they began making similar threats that Trinidad and Tobago is a part of Venezuela.

“Yet Caricom has chosen to support the Maduro narco government through the fake zone of peace narrative which is clearly designed to get the American military to leave the Caribbean region and therefore enable Maduro to remain as dictator in Venezuela.

“An organisation that chooses to disparage our greatest ally the United States but lends support to the Maduro narco-government headed by a dictator who has imprisoned and killed thousands of civilians and opposition members as well as threatened two Caricom members is one that has clearly lost its way,” Persad-Bissessar said in a statement.

“My priority is in the best interests of the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago,”  she added.

In its statement,  CPSO which serves as the umbrella body for at least seven national private sector organisations, said it places great value on the benefits derived  both from intra- Caricom trade “and from the Community’s strong trading relationships beyond the region, including with the United States, the largest collective external trading partner for Caricom.

“From a private sector standpoint, these relationships  are not in competition, they are complimentary, reinforcing economic resilience and diversification”.

The CPSO said  at a time of global economic uncertainty, “the private sector depends on confidence, stability and constructive engagement among member states.

“In these times, the phrase “stronger together” is particularly relevant.  Caricom continues to serve as the forum for leaders, governments, institutions and the people of our Community to join hands and stand shoulder to shoulder. In solidarity to transform vulnerabilities into  assets by building resilience and strategically integrating into the global  economy.”

The CPSO warned that in a world of increasing isolation “we recognise that Caricom and the  CSME vision are  critical for our  joint sustainability.