CASTRIES, Saint Lucia — Prime Minister Philip Pierre has described recent talks between Caribbean representatives and the United States government as “fruitful”, saying Saint Lucia will now seek opportunities to benefit from regional programmes announced following the meeting.

Speaking at the pre-Cabinet press briefing on October 19, Pierre, who chairs the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said the next step was to identify projects and partnerships that align with Saint Lucia’s national priorities.

“The government will engage United States to identify opportunities for national participation, clarify eligibility requirements, and position St Lucia to benefit from available programmes and supports,” Pierre said.

“For St Lucia, the next step is practical follow-up, identifying projects and partnerships to respond to our national priorities that can deliver measurable results. So it was a very interesting dialogue,” he added.

The US-Caribbean Dialogue was hosted by US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau at the Department of State in Washington, DC on October 15.

Pierre and Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew were the only CARICOM heads of government present, while other participating countries were represented by ministers of finance and foreign affairs.

The meeting was agreed during the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Saint Kitts and Nevis in February 2026, following discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

According to the US Department of State, the dialogue covered energy security, economic growth, critical infrastructure, trusted technology, disaster response, health cooperation and efforts to combat narco-terrorists and transnational criminal organisations.

Participants also attended a business luncheon and evening reception, where they met US business leaders to discuss potential projects in energy, critical minerals, ports and digital infrastructure.

Following the dialogue, the US Department of State announced regional commitments covering digital connectivity, port security, illegal fishing and efforts to counter transnational crime.

The commitments include US$175.8 million to expand trusted, high-speed undersea cable connectivity across the Caribbean and Central America and improve resilience against disruptions.

Under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), the United States also outlined US$37 million in support for securing critical digital infrastructure and ports, and countering illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

A further US$66 million in CBSI funding is intended to strengthen regional partners’ ability to counter transnational criminal organisations and secure borders.

The United States also announced plans to host a Caribbean Investment Summit in early 2027 to connect American companies, financiers and government finance agencies with Caribbean partners.