Rubio urges closer U.S.-Caribbean ties, cites gangs, energy among shared interests

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a message of closer cooperation as he met with Caribbean leaders on Wednesday, identifying gang violence and energy security as areas of shared concern.

Rubio, who spent the day in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in talks with regional heads of government, said he intended to make relations with the Caribbean a “personal priority.” It was his second official visit to the region in less than a year.

“It will be one that I will be personally engaged in,” he said, “and it’s one that I hope to leave for my successor, whoever that may be.”

Rubio was among the special guests at the 50th regular meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, known as CARICOM. Other guests included the secretary general of the Commonwealth and the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

In remarks described as “brisk” and “encouraging,” Rubio addressed the administration’s pressure campaign toward Venezuela, the capture of Nicolás Maduro last month, the threat of transnational criminal organizations and the region’s energy challenges.

Speaking behind closed doors to leaders of CARICOM’s 15 member states and associate members, Rubio warned that transnational criminal organizations pose perhaps the greatest threat to both the Caribbean and the United States.

“We have a long history of working together on responding” to challenges, Rubio said, according to a State Department transcript of his address.

He acknowledged a frequent complaint from Caribbean leaders: many of the guns fueling high murder rates in parts of the region originate in the United States.

“We are committed and continue to work very hard with our law enforcement agencies to shut that down,” he said. “These are terroristic organizations.”

Rubio pointed to Haiti, where the United States led efforts at the United Nations Security Council to authorize a new Gang Suppression Force, as proof of the administration’s commitment.. The mission, expected to begin deploying in April, would be larger and more robust than the previous Kenyan-led effort.

He also cited sanctions against gang leaders and their financiers, including the designation of a powerful coalition as a foreign terrorist organization.

“I think our cooperation will have to grow even deeper and our commitment to it will have to grow even stronger because these groups grow stronger,” he said.

Energy, he said, is also an area where the U.S. and Caribbean relationship can be of benefit.

“There are extraordinary opportunities for economic advancement, to work together,” he said. “ Energy is critical for the future; it’s critical for every economy in order to prosper.”

Many of the countries in the region are seeking to develop oil and gas resources, he noted. Previous administrations have promoted energy cooperation in the region, often with an emphasis on renewables. But oil-producing countries such as Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname have underscored their role as hydrocarbon exporters.

Financing remains a major constraint in a region that pays some of the highest electricity costs in the hemisphere.

Rubio suggested that Venezuela could help supply the energy needs. The country’s oil wealth once funded development programs through the discounted PetroCaribe oil program until U.S. sanctions restricted countries’ ability to pay.

On Wednesday, he once again raised the prospect of Caribbean governments doing business with Venezuela to fund their energy needs. Referring to the interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez, he said the South American nation has “done things that eight or nine weeks ago would have been unimaginable.

“Ultimately we do believe that a prosperous, free Venezuela who’s governed by a legitimate government who has the interests of their people in mind could also be an extraordinary partner and asset to many of the countries represented here today in terms of energy needs and the like, and also one less source of instability in the region,” he said. “So we expect to work very closely with all of you on that topic as well to the extent possible, and I think it’s related to the topic of security that I highlighted.”

Rubio also defended the U.S. policy on Venezuela: “Irrespective of how some of you may have individually felt about our operations and our policy towards Venezuela, I will tell you this, and I will tell you this without any apology or without any apprehension: Venezuela is better off today than it was eight weeks ago.”

Rodríguez‘s interim administration, he added, has “for the first time in a long time, generating oil revenue that’s going to the benefit of their people,” including public services and medical supplies.

One sensitive issue Rubio did not publicly address was U.S. travel restrictions affecting several Caribbean countries. Haiti remains under a full travel ban, while Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda face partial restrictions. Officials from other Eastern Caribbean states have raised concerns about heightened visa scrutiny.

He also did not address the issue of Cuba, which remains of major concerns for Caribbean leaders. Rubio cast his appearance at the summit — the first in a decade attended by every regional leader — as a demonstration of the Trump administration’s commitment to the Western Hemisphere.

“The stronger, the safer, the more prosperous, and the more secure that all of your counties are, the stronger, safer, more secure, and prosperous the United States is going to be. We view our security, our prosperity, our stability to be intricately tied to yours, and we are going to evidence that in the actions we’re prepared to take,” he said.

Rubio also added that he hoped his presence served as “a real-world demonstration of our commitment to being your partner,” he said.

“I don’t even want to call it resetting relations because it’s really not about a reset. I mean, we have longstanding ties to each of you bilaterally and all of you collectively, but reinvigorating our relationships because we have a lot in common to work on, both opportunities and challenges, and the United States is committed to doing that.”