And while he also hopes to get posted with the Chargé, Foreign Minister Courtenay had more than just a biting rebuke for Leader of the Opposition Shyne Barrow.
He spoke about the USA's high flown foreign policy rhetoric versus its tangible actions on the ground:
Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"It is curious to me that less than a month ago the United States announced new measures with Cuba's supposed dictatorship. It is curious to me that about two months ago, the United States and Cuba actually had bilateral talks on immigration, one of the main topics of the summit. It is curious to me that less than a month ago, the United States announced a waiver for Chevron to do business with Venezuela. It is curious to me thaT less than a month ago, the United States national security council sent a delegation to negotiate with Venezuela. Bilateral discussions are taking place but they want us to believe that when it comes to the entire hemisphere, these countries are dictatorships. Well, if they can have relations with them and we can have relations with them and this is a Summit of the Americas, there is absolutely no justification for excluding them. What is more important is what the summit is about. How can we talk about migration as a hemispheric problem and two of the countries that are countries of origin for hundreds of thousands of millions are excluded. How do you find a solution for the problem if you exclude those countries? How can we talk about COVID 19 recovery when the country that was on the frontline around the world when there was no vaccine is not invited to be part of the discussion on dealing with the continuing problem and future pandemics. We regard that myopic, we regard that as shortsighted, we regard it as misguided."
"The point of the matter for Belize, we have an activist foreign policy which we are friends to all and enemies to none."
