Laura-Marie West, Consul General
MIAMI – Consulate General of the
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Laura-Marie West, Consul General has sent an Open Letter to Nationals of Trinidad and Tobago in the South Florida Diaspora.
Dear National of Trinidad and Tobago,
I have had the pleasure of meeting with some nationals of Trinidad and Tobago since my assumption of duty here as Consul General, Miami, on April 25, 2009.
Since then, it was proposed that the Consulate General will continue to ensure service to nationals in the ten (10) States that fall under its jurisdiction through a series of Outreach Programmes during which, inter alia, the following activities will be undertaken:
(a) The issuance of Machine Readable Passports using a system of appointments to regulate access to the services that will be provided;
(b) Meet with important governmental and commercial entities to discuss areas of mutual cooperation, including the possibility of trade missions, collaboration and partnerships between agencies and businesses in Trinidad and Tobago and with those in the particular State, as well as identification of new areas of growth and promotion for Trinidad and Tobago and its nationals.
In this connection, the sectors targeted by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for development include ICT, Downstream Energy/High Value Manufacturing, Environmental Technology, Agro Technology, Financial Services, and Tourism.
For definition purposes, Trinidad and Tobago also wishes to attract companies in the following sub-sectors for Downstream Energy/High Value Manufacturing and Environmental Technology:
Downstream Energy/High Value Manufacturing:
1. Aluminum.
2. Polypropylene/plastics.
3. Steel.
4. Melamine.
5. C-2 (ethane) and C-e (propane).
Environmental Technology:
1. Electronics – where solar panels are a major component.
2. Alternative/Renewable energy (wind, solar, thermal, hydro, tidal, biomass, ethanol and biodiesel).
3. Industrial Recycling (plastics, rubber, solid waste management, desalinization, Bioremediation/Membrane Technologies).
4. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) construction and sustainable materials.
(c) Meet with the United States Department of Homeland Security located in the respective States, to discuss, among other things, matters relating to the deportation of nationals;
(d) Visit some of the prisoners, nationals of Trinidad and Tobago, who are incarcerated in the Prisons; and
(e) Meet with nationals resident in the particular State to encourage cooperation with the Consulate General, to promote Trinidad and Tobago’s culture and to support efforts to maximise the economic potential of the Diaspora.
The first such visit was expected to begin in Houston and Dallas, Texas over the period September 10 to 14, 2009. Unfortunately, challenges associated with the transport of the sensitive equipment forced the postponement of this event. Nonetheless, the Consulate General is taking measures to ensure that this series of Outreach Programmes are undertaken and will be conducting a trial run to identify and eliminate problems that may occur in other States.
The Consulate General looks forward to working with you and the members of your community to make these goals a reality.
Laura-Marie West
Consul General
