“St Kitts and Nevis well placed to act as a gateway between the UAE and the Western Hemisphere” - Dr. Denzil Douglas Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis

St Kitts and Nevis is so tiny that it is often difficult to find on a world map. It is a federal two-island state in the West Indies, the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, in both area and population. However, the government has nonetheless created a nation, and society of very high standards — complete respect for human rights; no political prisoners; free, fair, and regular elections; 98 per cent literacy; world-class air, sea, and telecommunications infrastructure and consistently positive reviews by the IMF and other international financial institutions. The country’s Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr Denzil L. Douglas shared his thoughts in an interview with Khaleej Times in Dubai.

The excerpts:

What steps are being taken to expand ties between St Kitts and Nevis and the UAE?

The establishment of formal diplomatic relations with the UAE, and our appointment of a Consul General in Dubai are concrete steps that we have taken to strengthen the ties between the UAE and our federation. We expect that these important initiatives will play a catalytic role in fostering cultural ties, investment flows, trade in goods and services (especially tourism and possibly offshore education services) and strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.

Do you believe that St Kitts and Nevis can be a gateway for companies from the UAE?

Certainly. St Kitts and Nevis is ideally located in that it is very close to North American, South American and Caribbean nations. We also speak English as our mother tongue and we are in the same time zone as many American and Canadian cities. We are therefore well placed to act as a bridge or gateway between the UAE and the Western Hemisphere, especially in relation to investment and trade in goods and services.

Could you elaborate on the economic citizenship programme? How would you screen applicants for St Kitts Nevis economic citizenship?

All applicants are subject to very thorough due diligence investigations to confirm the accuracy of the information and documents that they submit in support of their application, to ensure that they have not been involved in any criminal activities (including money laundering and terrorist financing), and to satisfy the Government of St Kitts and Nevis that they are fit and proper persons for citizenship and are not likely to bring disrepute to our federation.

The islands are beautiful. What is your government doing to prioritise travel and tourism in St Kitts and Nevis?

We are on a massive drive to enhance our tourism-related infrastructure and to allocate more resources to the marketing of our destination. We believe that the expansion of our ties with other nations such as the UAE and the continuation of the citizenship by Investment Programme, will give St Kitts and Nevis more visibility internationally.

St Kitts has a lot to offer in terms of places that corporations would want to invest. How are you planning to attract foreign direct investment?

We have very generous tax and duty concessions that would be attractive to foreign investors. In addition we have legislation providing for a range of corporate vehicles that facilitate investment in or from St Kitts and Nevis. These include companies, exempt companies, IBC’s, trusts, foundations and captive insurance companies.

Do you see St Kitts and Nevis evolving as a trading hub in the next decade?

The focus in St Kitts and Nevis is on the development of services, especially financial, investment and educational services. But we certainly believe that as we foster closer ties with countries such as the UAE, we could emerge as an important hub in respect to trade links between such countries and North and South America.

What further steps are you taking to advance business relationships?

We analyse the global landscape very carefully, and identify nations and business interests where we think the potential exists for true symbiosis. Once we identify these possibilities we explore them and attempt to establish mutually beneficial relationships. And then of course, as you would imagine, foreign businesses often take the initiative on their own as well. In those cases, we undertake our due diligence, and then proceed from that point.

REPRINTED FROM THE DUBAI BASED KHALEEJ TIMES