National Green Party (NGP) leader Andre de Caires shared his views on CARICOM’s collective stance regarding ongoing global political crises.
The wars in Gaza and Ukraine have featured prominently in mainstream media coverage due to their significant impact on the global landscape, including trade and world peace.
At the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held in September, Caribbean speakers, including Saint Lucia’s Minister for External Affairs, Alva Baptiste, delivered addresses outlining their countries’ positions on international conflicts.
In his address, Baptiste addressed the various challenges affecting small island developing states, including the ongoing political crises.
“We have the power to transform global governance to respond to the rapidly changing global environment. That time has come,” Baptiste remarked.
In response, political leader Decaires commended Saint Lucia and CARICOM’s stance on the conflict in Gaza.
“I must say, I’m proud of all our leaders for taking a stance against Zionism and the atrocities occurring in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. I applaud the presentation by the Honorable Alva Baptiste. It was strong, hard-hitting, and it stood up for the oppressed people in Gaza and the West Bank.”
However, Decaires urged caution regarding CARICOM’s position on the Ukraine-Russia war.
CARICOM has consistently condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reaffirming its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.
The organisation has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and dialogue between the parties to resolve the conflict peacefully.
Additionally, CARICOM has aligned with the broader international community by supporting United Nations General Assembly resolutions condemning the Russian invasion and calling for humanitarian aid.
However, de Caires expressed concern that complete support for Ukraine might inadvertently involve supporting terrorism.
“My concern lies with our full support of the war in Ukraine. We support Ukrainians and Ukraine as a country, without considering the history and the massacres carried out by the Azov Brigade, a radical neo-Nazi force in Ukraine. Russia took nearly a decade to respond. These are Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the eastern Donbas region who were being terrorised by the Azov Brigade. We need to consider that these were the people Putin was trying to protect. He aimed to separate the eastern Donbas region from the rest of Ukraine, but this conflict has evolved into a proxy war for NATO.”
“Both the Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. support the Zionist regime of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is slaughtering innocent women and children. Therefore, I would cast a ‘no’ vote rather than fully support Ukrainians in this proxy war waged by NATO against Russia.”
