For­eign and Cari­com Af­fairs Min­is­ter Sean Sobers has re­ject­ed claims made by Dr Ralph Gon­salves that he de­clined to at­tend a Cari­com re­treat in Nevis due to sea­sick­ness, in­sist­ing the re­mark was made in jest.

For­mer St Vin­cent and the Grenadines Prime Min­is­ter Dr Ralph Gon­salves al­leged that Sobers was not dis­in­vit­ed from the Nevis re­treat but in­stead chose not to at­tend the Feb­ru­ary 26 event, cit­ing sea­sick­ness.

Gon­salves’ com­ments con­tra­dict the Gov­ern­ment’s po­si­tion that Trinidad and To­ba­go was ex­clud­ed from the vote to reap­point Dr Car­la Bar­nett af­ter Cari­com did not recog­nise Sobers as head of the na­tion­al del­e­ga­tion fol­low­ing Prime Min­is­ter Kam­la Per­sad-Bisses­sar’s de­par­ture. The Gov­ern­ment has said this pre­vent­ed Trinidad and To­ba­go from par­tic­i­pat­ing in the elec­tion.