Overseas Trips Boost BVI Standing; Premier Says
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley defended the BVI government’s overseas travel programme during a Diplomatic Week 2025 panel, saying official visits are essential for influence on climate, finance and political stability. He described the Territory’s growing international presence as the result of decades of struggle and self-determination, highlighted the financial services sector’s role in government revenue, and urged young people to consider careers in international relations.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley told attendees at a Diplomatic Week 2025 panel that the Virgin Islands’ future in global diplomacy is promising and that overseas visits are vital to protecting and advancing the Territory’s interests. Speaking at the event titled Defining Our Place in the World: The Evolving Diplomacy of Overseas Territories, which was held under the theme From Island Shores to Global Doors, Dr Wheatley shared the platform with Anguilla’s Premier, Cora Richardson-Hodge, and described the Territory’s growing international presence as the result of decades of struggle and self-determination, BVI News reported.
Dr Wheatley said the ability to define the BVI’s place internationally “didn’t just happen overnight,” noting milestones such as the introduction of an elected legislature in 1950 and the later establishment of local ministers as important steps toward self-governance. He looked ahead with hope, saying “perhaps one day we’ll get to the point… that we’ll even be able to have a leader of government who can appoint a foreign minister.” The Premier defended the government’s overseas travel programme as practical and necessary, arguing that small territories cannot expect influence if they remain stationary. “We cannot possibly maintain our position or even gain our position if we were just sitting at home.
We have to be able to travel,” he said, recalling official visits to China and Malaysia where the BVI was “well respected” in global financial circles. He pointed to concrete diplomatic gains from those relationships and credited regional alliances for support during recent political turbulence.
Referring to the period following the 2022 Commission of Inquiry, Dr Wheatley said it was “partly because of diplomacy, because of our relationship with the OECS and CARICOM, that they were able to stand up for us,” helping to avert threats to the Territory’s constitution and democratic processes.
Dr Wheatley also highlighted the Territory’s growing leadership role in international bodies, noting the BVI’s service as vice chair of the CDCC and of ECLAC as “an enormous accomplishment for a territory of 30 plus thousand people,” and said credibility is earned through consistent engagement.
Addressing public criticism that official travel amounts to leisure, he insisted the work is demanding but rewarding, and stressed that diplomacy covers key areas such as climate change, financial services and political stability. He emphasised that climate change is not of the islands’ making and called for climate justice and financing from industrialised nations.
He also noted that the financial services sector contributes roughly 60 percent of government revenue, a major reason for sustained international engagement (BVI News). Deputy Premier Julian Fraser echoed the Premier’s defence, telling the panel critics “don’t know the benefits of travelling if you don’t travel,” and stressing much diplomatic work cannot be done from home.
Looking ahead, Dr Wheatley said “the future is very bright for Virgin Islands diplomacy and Virgin Islands engagement,” and encouraged young people to study international relations and consider careers in diplomacy, saying such training makes individuals more globally minded and can prepare them for high-level roles.
BVI News provided coverage of the Diplomatic Week panel and the Premier’s remarks.
Primary source: BVI News