Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, led talks last week between Caricom and United States authorities at the consultation in Jamaica over the problem of correspondent banking being faced by the Caribbean community.

Prime Minister Browne is known for speaking forcefully on international platforms about the economic problems of the region.

The talks have been dubbed Caribbean Public Private Dialogue on Correspondent Banking Relations as regional banks attempt to prevent the loss of correspondent banking relations to the region.

The talks are expected to have been centred on the impact of such withdrawals on the small island states.

In a statement issued through Caricom, Browne said he intended “to forcefully put forward CARICOM’s position on this matter to the US authorities because I believe we are being treated unfairly.”’

The meeting was expected to attract representatives from several Caribbean nations and allow regional banks to discuss the controls desired of them with US authorities.

In a communiqué issued last week through the office of the Prime Minister in Antigua, Browne stated, “We have been labelled as tax havens and accused of lax tax regimes and avenues for money laundering and terrorism financing, yet there is absolutely no evidence to support these allegations … In all instances where banks and financial institutions have to pay penalties on such matters, not one CARICOM nation has ever been involved. This cannot be right – it cannot be just.”

Browne is known for his outspokenness in the international arena. In mid-2015, on the occasion of Third International Conference on Financing For Development 13-16 July, 2015 (Addis Ababa) he called for debt forgiveness for small island developing states.

Browne said then that financing solutions to resolve their high debts and the attendant debt service, they are fighting a continuous battle that eventually will overwhelm them unless they get help.

“The high debt service has significantly reduced fiscal space to fund development; as a consequence, unemployment and poverty have risen exponentially. We trust that the declaration emanating from this conference will call for restructuring and gradual debt write-offs for developing countries including vulnerable small island states.” he suggested.