Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar held talks with the United States Southern Command on March 9 aimed at strengthening cooperation between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States in combating narcotics trafficking and enhancing national security.

Persad-Bissessar disclosed the meeting in a social media post, noting that discussions focused on expanding security collaboration and strengthening efforts to tackle the illegal drug trade.

The meeting took place in Florida while the prime minister was in the United States attending the Shield of the Americas Summit.

Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and the Dominican Republic were the only Caribbean countries invited to attend the summit, which was organised by US President Donald Trump on March 7.

Persad-Bissessar received the invitation to the summit from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on February 25 during talks held on the sidelines of the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting in Saint Kitts and Nevis.

During the meeting with US Southern Command officials, Persad-Bissessar and her delegation met with Commander Francis L. Donovan along with Deputy Commander Pettus, Foreign Policy Advisor Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath and Command Senior Enlisted Leader Rafael Rodriguez.

The prime minister said discussions centred on strengthening cooperation to ensure a safer Trinidad and Tobago and improving regional security.

She added that Donovan expressed appreciation for Trinidad and Tobago’s leadership in regional efforts to combat narcotics trafficking.

Persad-Bissessar also called for expanded technical cooperation in areas such as cyber security, forensics and ballistics to support the fight against criminal networks.

According to the prime minister, several projects were identified during the meeting that could support Trinidad and Tobago’s national security framework.

She added that an invitation was extended to Donovan to visit Trinidad and Tobago, with the possibility of the visit taking place before the end of the year.