CASTRIES, St Lucia, CMC –  The St Lucia government on Monday said it had not been given any prior notice by the Irish government regarding its decision to impose visa requirements for nationals wanting to visit the European country.

“I have no control over Irish internal policy. The Irish government decides what’s in the best interest of Ireland. I have no control over that,” Prime Minister Phillip Pierre told reporters on Monday, adding, “We are living in a space where countries are creating their own domestic legislation for their own domestic reasons.”

“So I cannot opine on why Ireland did it. I don’t know why Ireland did it,” Pierre said, noting that the Irish had also placed similar requirements on St Kitts and Nevis and Nicaragua.