The Mia Mottley-led Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has invited Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis and Minister of Foreign Affairs in St. Kitts and Nevis to be a featured speaker at the party’s 81st national conference this weekend.
The three-day event, themed “BLP 2019 – A Refreshing Change for Barbados”, will be held from October 25 to 27. The event will feature an award ceremony, speeches, an address from the prime minister and a concert where members of parliament will perform.
At a BLP pre-conference press briefing on Monday, Mr. Kirk Humphrey, Chairman of the conference planning committee announced that Premier Brantley’s address will be one of the highlights of Sunday evening.
“On Sunday our guest speaker will be the Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis. Mark is an outstanding young man. Mark, as Minister of Foreign Affairs he’s well in tune with the challenges Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are facing; he’s well in tune with the need for us to fight on all fronts when it comes to climate change; the need for us to be one in our battles in the financial services sector.
“With St. Kitts and Nevis having a smaller population than Barbados, he also faces the issues of size and what it will take for us to put Barbados and the region back on the map. Therefore, he is in a unique position to speak to Barbadians and the Caribbean as to the tremendous challenges we’re facing and the reason why it is necessary for the Prime Minister to have taken the positions she has taken in terms of her leadership of these issues in relation to Small Island Developing States,” he said.
As renowned Caribbean jurists, Prime Minister Mottley and Premier Brantley have enjoyed a longstanding friendship rooted in mutual respect and shared political ideologies of regionalism and good governance.
Speaking to the invitation to deliver remarks at the auspicious occasion, Premier Brantley said, “I feel deeply honoured to have been asked to address the Party Conference of a significant political party in our region. I look forward to interacting with my dear friend Prime Minister Mia Mottley and her team”.