Caribbean expresses unity with EU, UK amid Russian aggression

Caribbean: Amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the United Nations General Assembly voted to reprimand Russia. The UN Assembly has further asked Kremlin to cease the fight and bring back Russian military troops, a move aimed at diplomatically isolating Russia at the UN.

The Caribbean region has also backed the United Kingdom and European Union in demand towards peace and solidarity and, because of the ongoing conflict, announced restrictions against Russia for invading the neighbouring nation – Ukraine.

In early March, the UK High Commissioner to Barbados and Eastern Caribbean – Scott Furssedonn-Wood, tweeted and informed that more than 142 countries, including Eastern Caribbean countries such as Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines, have voted in favour of UN resolution against Russian Federation’s aggression.

While taking rigid action against Russia, the Caribbean countries have temporarily terminated the offering of Citizenship by Investment Programmes to the applicants of Russia and Belarus. The step has been taken by keeping the security and safety concerns in mind.

In regard to this, a statement was issued by the government of Antigua and Barbuda, which stated that the CBI Unit is keenly keeping an eye on the events occurring in Ukraine since the commencement of Russia’s invasion of the country. The statement read, “The deteriorating conditions in Ukraine, because of Russia has compelled us to make a decision that the operating these jurisdictions is a big challenge”.

It further notified that the due-diligence providers have advised that this crisis has severely impacted their investigation abilities. They emphasised that the due diligence process in the country is a crucial component to check the eligibility of applicant.

The official letter published by the government mentioned, “The Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) has advised avoiding the intake of the applications from the prior-mentioned countries, and for the time being, it would not be processed.”

It further notified that the information would be provided as the situation witnesses a change.

A similar step has been taken by the Commonwealth of Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis. Both Caribbean nations have stated that the decision would come into effect immediately, and the applications from Russia as well as Belarus would not be currently processed.

The governments have stated that they would take all the required measures to safeguard the global community and maintain the integrity of the CBI programme of the countries.

Several high ranked officials including Prime Ministers have expressed their dismay on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit in his tweet mentioned, “Dominica calls for an immediate end to this aggression by Russian Federation. These actions are contrary to international peace and security, as enshrined in the UN Charter.”

It is worth noting that all five Caribbean jurisdictions provide the CBI Programme, which is the world’s most robust due-diligence background check. According to the data by the Citizenship by Investment Agent – AAA Associates Immigration Services, more than 8 to 10 percent of the applications face rejection due to failure in vetting procedures. These jurisdictions are responsible for maintaining the safety of the citizens while ensuring the protection of the global community.

Mostly, the Caribbean countries have backed the decision taken by the United Kingdom and Europe, and they have always lauded the decision by the EU delegations.

Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska, the head of Delegations of European Union to Barbados and Eastern Caribbean, thanked the OECS countries for extending support to the EU against Russia and rejecting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and calling for an end to hostilities.