SVG maintains its foreign policy independence

This country will maintain its independence on the issue of foreign policy.{{more}}

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves told the nation that this was demonstrated recently when the Government of St.Vincent and the Grenadines refused to vote for Iran, even though it had just received US$2 million from the Iranian Government towards the construction of the international airport at Argyle.

The prime minister disclosed the same week the money was transferred to this country, Canada had brought a resolution before the United Nations General Assembly concerning human rights in Iran.

Gonsalves said the Iranians wanted St.Vincent and the Grenadines to side with them, but his administration refused.

“We are practical. We have our principles and we work with them, and the Iranians understood why we had to vote in this manner. That has not fractured the relationship,” said the prime minister.

Gonsalves said, on the other hand, this country did not side with Canada on the issue, even though it had just promised to double its assistance to the Caribbean region from $300 million to $600 million over a 10-year period.

“These resolutions are really political resolutions to give a black eye to a particular country….We said the forum for dealing with these matters are in Geneva,” said Gonsalves.

“When this country speaks of defending its independence and to do so in solidarity with others, a lot of people think that those are just words, but that’s a cardinal principle of the foreign relations of our country,” Gonsalves pointed out.