NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS – The Honourable Eric Evelyn, then Acting Premier of Nevis, welcomed Governor Albert Bryan Jr. of the Virgin Islands of the United States to the island of Nevis at his Pinneys’ Estate office during an official visit on Friday, September 06, 2024.
On behalf of the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) the Honourable Evelyn expressed his pleasure to officially welcome Governor Bryan on his first visit to the island.
“We are certainly happy to have the presence of the Governor and his delegation in Nevis. We know that Nevis and the United States Virgin Islands have had some excellent ties over the years and we have thousands of nationals who reside in St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John, and so we are honoured that the Governor can come and visit because we must continue to maintain those excellent relations that we have,” said the Acting Premier.
Describing their discussions as fruitful, the Honourable Evelyn said still more could be done to strengthen relations between the territories.
“I’m sure there’s a lot more we can do in terms of our relations going forward. I think the scope is there, the potential is there for us to cooperate on so many matters. We are hopeful that out of those discussions we can see some more cooperation between Nevis and the US Virgin Islands going forward.”
Governor Bryan Jr. thanked the people of Nevis for extending warm hospitality to his delegation during the brief visit. He echoed similar sentiments to the Acting Premier with respect to improving bilateral cooperation.
“When we think of the Caribbean, the Virgin Islands wants to be more engaged, wants to do more trade, more technical assistance both ways, agriculture. There are so many things that we have in common as small island nations and our territory and we want to be a bigger part of that.
“To see what’s happening here in terms of what you’re explaining about poultry farming and egg harvesting, it’s amazing what you can do with a country that’s dedicated to independence, sustainability and really maintaining the green environment that we have come to know and love in the Caribbean.”
He highlighted how important bringing the Caribbean closer is to his administration, pointing out the territory’s pursuit to become an Associate Member of CARICOM.
Governor Bryan Jr. was accompanied by Ms. RoseAnne Farrington, Deputy Commissioner, US Department of Tourism; and Mrs. Jo-ann Berry-Edney, Special Projects Coordinator, USVI Office of the Governor.
While in Nevis the Governor and his team met with persons from the Ministry of Tourism in the NIA as well as representatives from the Nevis Tourism Authority (NTA).