Prime Minister Gaston Browne has defended Antigua and Barbuda’s longstanding relationship with Venezuela, criticising opposition voices for what he described as “ungrateful” and politically motivated attacks on the alliance.
Speaking on his Pointe FM radio programme over the weekend, Browne said the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) had benefitted significantly from Venezuelan support during its tenure, including access to over US$500 million in credit and a US$50 million grant that was never repaid.
“Venezuela has made meaningful contributions to our development without ever interfering in our domestic affairs,” Browne said. “And now the same people who benefitted from those contributions are trying to undermine the relationship. That’s the height of ungratefulness.”
He also pointed out that the UPP has been working in concert with external actors to smear the government’s image abroad, citing a billboard in Washington, D.C. that he said sought to associate Antigua and Barbuda with so-called enemies of the United States, including Cuba, Venezuela, and China.
“This goes beyond domestic politics — it borders on treason,” Browne said. “To conspire with foreign elements to damage our country’s reputation is disgraceful.”
Browne stressed that social programmes in Antigua and Barbuda continue to benefit from Venezuelan assistance, with PetroCaribe funds contributing an estimated US$10 million annually.
He further rejected claims that recent criticisms of the Venezuelan relationship were grounded in policy concerns, arguing instead that they were part of a broader pattern of political desperation.
“The UPP is collapsing, and their only strategy is to attack everything this government does — even the relationships they once relied on,” he said. “It’s hypocrisy of the highest order.”
