Belmopan, December 11, 2025.
Dr. Hon. Osmond Martinez, Minister of State in the Ministry of Economic Transformation, concluded a series of high-level meetings in Washington, D.C., aimed at strengthening cooperation between the Government of Belize and the United States and fostering further collaboration with multilateral financial institutions. During his visit, Minister Martinez engaged with U.S. Senator Rick Scott; Senator Ashley Moody of Florida; Joseph Salazar,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; Daniel Watson, the Assistant United States Trade Representative for the Western Hemisphere; Susana Cordeiro Guerra, World Bank Vice President for the Latin America and Caribbean Region; and senior representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank.
Across these engagements, Minister Martinez emphasized Belize’s interest in advancing key development priorities. A central focus was exploring opportunities to advance Belize’s developing energy sector and support efforts to increase the country’s long-term energy generation potential. Minister Martinez also raised the pending final approval from the United States to permit the importation of green coconuts from Belize as a priority. Additional discussions explored opportunities for public sector investment projects to enhance trade competitiveness and secure concessionary development financing for the agriculture sector, particularly to strengthen value chains, increase climate resilience, expand market access, and improve access to affordable financing for small farmers to increase production.
The Minister was accompanied by Mr. Mac McLachlan, Vice President of International Relations at American Sugar Refining (ASR); Mr. Ruy Martinez, Regional Commercial Director at ASR; and Mr. Joshua Pott, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Belize in Washington, D.C. Following these meetings, the Minister will continue his itinerary with a visit to Florida for a site tour of American Sugar Refining’s operations.
Ends
