Deputy Premier of the Turks and Caicos, Hon. Sean Astwood (left) and US Ambassador to Barbados, Linda Taglialatela, shaking hands after signing the memorandum yesterday morning.
Assistant Commissioner (ag) of International Affairs, Ian Saunders (left) and Deputy Premier of the Turks and Caicos, Hon. Sean Astwood look on, as US Ambassador to Barbados, Linda Taglialatela, addresses persons during the Border Security Professional Exchange Conference that was held at the Hilton Hotel yesterday morning.
Yesterday morning’s Border Security Professional Exchange Conference that was held at the Hilton Hotel saw the Turks and Caicos become the first of six British Overseas Territories in the region to sign an agreement with the CARICOM Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) Programme.
US Ambassador to Barbados, Linda Taglialatela, expressed that she was looking forward to additional nations joining the programme and reminded non-members of the advantages that come along with being a member. “I encourage all of you to consider the benefits to your countries of enhanced APIS,” she said.
She explained that adopting APIS will further allow countries to secure their airports and ports which leads them to enhancing their regional security and noted that in order for the region’s borders to be secure, persons must work within the
sovereign states to identify issues and discuss implementable solutions.
She revealed that there were already ten members of CARICOM that were already members of the APIS and was delighted to report that the Turks and Caicos was the first associate member.
She expressed that there is a continued interest throughout the Caribbean and noted that they were working with various nations to bring them onboard. Ian Saunders, Assistant Commissioner, (ag) explained that the purpose of APIS was to share the practices and experiences across the region “in real time”.
Speaking on behalf of the Turks and Caicos, Deputy Premier, Hon. Sean Astwood expressed that the signing that morning marked a historic occasion as the Turks and Caicos embarked on a path of modernising their border security regime through the cooperation agreement between the United States of America and the Caribbean counterparts.
He explained that the signing of the memorandum was a significant and important step in achieving full implementation in the APIS in the Turks and Caicos and by extension improved security for their region.
He added that signing the agreement led for there to be a more structured protocol in the way they communicate with other countries.