MOSCOW (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama will meet with the 15-member Caribbean community (CARICOM) in Jamaica on Thursday to reassure its leadership in the region and discuss energy issues before traveling to Panama to attend the Summit of the Americas.
The ongoing Obama visit to Kingston is the first by a sitting US president since Ronald Reagan arrived in the city back in 1982. Obama's visit is widely seen as an attempt to make a fresh start in relations between Washington and its neighbors.
Media reports suggest Obama’s visit to Jamaica is partially intended to highlight Venezuela’s scaled-back oil diplomacy, taking advantage of Caracas’ economic problems triggered, in part, by low oil prices.
Last year, US Vice President Joe Biden traveled to the Dominican Republic and announced the creation of the Caribbean Energy Security Initiative, providing financing for new projects, as well as strategic planning and technical assistance to Caribbean countries that want to upgrade their energy sectors.
After the trip to Jamaica, Obama will head to the Panama City to attend the 7th Summit of the Americas, where he is likely to meet Cuba’s leader Raul Castro.
The summit will be attended by all 35 countries in the western hemisphere for the first time in its history. The sides will focus on common policy issues, shared values and regional security.
