SENIOR career diplomats have defended the country’s foreign policy, which they argue has worked in its best interest, even in instances where positions taken at the multilateral and other levels appear to run counter to national concerns.

Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Sheila Sealy Monteith stressed on Wednesday that there is a lot behind the scenes that the public is not aware of, and which “can never be known”.

She was answering questions at a meeting of Parliament’s Internal and External Affairs Committee about the status of Jamaica’s foreign policy, and whether the country is looking to enter into arrangements with Venezuela again, using the Russa-Ukraine crisis as a springboard. The questions were posed by members Lisa Hanna, spokesperson on the portfolio, and St Catherine Southern Member of Parliament, Fitz Jackson.

Sealy Monteith stressed that Jamaica has been consistent in its foreign policies and positions. “Diplomacy is long. There is a lot that goes on that is never known. When we see how things are played out, in the media and in other sphere, we simply have to just look and keep our mouths closed because we know that what goes into the decision-making is way beyond what is seen in the public [and] what can be said,” she stated.

The permanent secretary pointed out that the positions taken on issues as they arise in the international arena take into account both current and past issues. She said even with adjustments, these positions must remain faithful to the protection of national concerns and ensuring that domestic policies are protected by external policies, and at the same time adhere to international laws and principles.

“On the surface they may seem to be counter to what we are actually doing [but] when you take them in their totality, they do not,” she stressed, adding that multilateralism has to be Jamaica’s bedrock, as the country is “too small not to be seen”. She said despite its size, Jamaica has always protected not only its interest but the interest of other countries, and aligned itself with others.

On the question of recalibrating a relationship with Venezuela, under-secretary for multilateral affairs, ambassador Alison Stone Roofe, said the Government has “walked a very careful line” with that country, and continues to maintain a bilateral relationship.

“We continue to have a clear relationship with the Government. We have not had to this date recognised any opposing forces in that country. We will continue to navigate what is a very complex domestic relationship…our actions in the multilateral sphere, in the OAS (Organisation of American States) also has reflected that balance in large part,” she emphasised, pointing out that “the US certainly under Biden and even under Trump has lines of open discussions with Venezuela, despite what we see publicly. So it’s layered, it’s complex, it’s careful,” the ambassador told the committee.

In 2018, Jamaica was among 19 countries which supported a resolution to suspend Venezuela from the 34-member OAS. Other Caribbean countries included The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana. St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica voted against the sanction. The foreign affairs ministry spoke out against media reports, insisting that no resolution was tabled to expel any member from the OAS.

“Jamaica openly called for dialogue and not the immediate suspension of Venezuela. Jamaica has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the political crisis in Venezuela and has always seen the OAS as one of the key mechanisms through which to facilitate diplomatic dialogue to resolve the situation,” then state minister for foreign affairs, Pearnel Charles Jr said.

Last year Hanna criticised what she deemed Jamaica’s continued “rogue and untenable” foreign policy pursuits at the special meeting of the Permanent Council of the OAS.

She said it was a complete reversal of Jamaica’s respected and long-standing foreign policy commitments which is destructive to the country’s image in the region, and internationally.