St Kitts national security minister meets with NYC officials

St. Kitts and Nevis' Minister of National Security, Justice, Immigration and Labour,  Dwyer Astaphan and New York Councilmember, Hon. Yvette Clarke and members of the local delegation at the City Hall Reception. Councilmember Kendall Stewart is (5th right). Photo by Dameon Reid

Friday, May 13, 2005

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS: An initiative, aimed at forging a relationship between law enforcement agencies in St. Kitts and Nevis and New York, is being spearheaded by Minister of National Security, Justice, Immigration and Labour, Dwyer Astaphan.

Minister Astaphan and representatives from several local law enforcement agencies have been meeting with officials from New York’s City Hall.

Councilmember, Yvette Clarke, shared some insights with Minister Astaphan about her role as chair of the Council’s Fire & Criminal Justice Services Committee and the city’s Emergency Preparedness System.

She formally introduced the City Council to Minister Astaphan during a reception in his honour.

“It is my honor and privilege to present Minister Astaphan to my colleagues. St. Kitts has been a strong Caribbean ally of our city and was extremely supportive during the early post-9/11 era, including providing free vacations for some of our city’s emergency workers who toiled at the Trade Center site,” said Clarke, who succeeded her mother Una Clarke as Councilmember.

She said that it is international goodwill like this, which is the foundation for strong partnerships and economic opportunities for Basseterre and New York.

“On behalf of the 167,000 residents of the 40th District in Brooklyn and the more than two million Caribbean nationals throughout the metropolitan area, I want to give warm greetings to Minister Dwyer Astaphan and his colleagues, and wish them a safe and enjoyable visit to our city,” said Clarke.

Minister Astaphan has been meeting with representatives of several agencies that are committed to safety. These include the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), the New York Police Department (NYPD), the Coast Guard and National Guard, to establish goodwill and information sharing between Basseterre and the City of New York.

He met with New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly, Fire Commissioner, Nicholas Scopetta and Department of Corrections Commissioner Martin Horn

Minister Astaphan also attended a CARIB NEWS Editorial Board Meeting and a testimonial celebration for former Grenada Ambassador to the United Nations, His Excellency Dr. Lamuel Stanislaus, who is still the titular head of the Caribbean–American community in New York. 

The delegation also met with members of the Caribbean–American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) that hosted a Breakfast Meeting on its behalf.

“St. Kitts and Nevis and the Caribbean are important to us in the New York Diaspora. Having Minister Dwyer Astaphan, one of the brightest leaders from the Caribbean, visit us in New York is a great honour,” said President of CACCI, Dr. Roy Hastick.

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