UK SAYS TERRITORIES ARE PART OF ITS NEW GLOBAL OUTREACH

The Overseas Territories are featured in the British government’s post-Brexit ‘Global Britain’ outlook.

The government says the integrated review is a comprehensive articulation of the UK’s national security and international policy.

The policy outline speaks of “shared interests bind together the citizens of the United Kingdom, along with our Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, giving us an advantage in an increasingly competitive global environment and a distinctive and influential voice in the world.”

Specific to the Overseas Territories, it says: "We will promote the right of self-determination for the peoples of the OTs and continue to defend and represent internationally the three Crown Dependencies.”

Under the heading of ‘security’, The Global Britain outlook commits “to support the OTs and Crown Dependencies in deterring and defending against state and non-state threats and list an enhanced British armed forced presence in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters as well as significant investment in the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.

It also includes a permanent presence in the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island and the British Indian Ocean Territory, along with a permanent maritime presence in the Atlantic and Caribbean, contributing to counter-trafficking operations and delivering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief during the annual hurricane season.

The British government recently hosted a UK-Caribbean forum online with regional foreign minister and representatives of the Overseas Territories.

During that session issues discussed included; the UK's global agenda, economic partnership, security, the COVID pandemic and acknowledging the contributions of the Caribbean's Windrush generation to Britain.