Regional Relations

Trinidad and Tobago has played a crucial role in the integration of the Caribbean, particularly among the Anglophone countries of the region, for decades now. A promoter of the Treaty of Chaguaramas in 1973, the first step towards deeper regional integration after the mixed fortunes of the establishment of the short-lived West Indies Federation between 1958 and 1962, T&T subsequently became a founding member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Between 1998 and 2013 T&T’s share of total intra-CARICOM exports rose from 37% to 70%, with Jamaica being the principal importer of T&T exports over this period. Alongside T&T, the international organisation currently has 14 full members, five associate members and eight observers. This chapter contains an interview with William Warren Smith, President, Caribbean Development Bank.