More information about Antigua and Barbuda is available on the Antigua and Barbuda Page and from other Department of State publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet.

U.S.-ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA RELATIONS

The United States established diplomatic relations with Antigua and Barbuda in 1981 following its independence from the United Kingdom. Relations between the United States and Antigua and Barbuda are friendly and cooperative. The United States has supported the Government of Antigua and Barbuda's efforts to encourage the country's economic development and to improve its citizens' security and standard of living.

Antigua and Barbuda's location close to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico makes it an attractive transshipment point for narcotics traffickers. To address these problems, the United States and Antigua and Barbuda have signed a series of counternarcotic and anticrime treaties and agreements, including a maritime law enforcement agreement that was subsequently amended to include overflight and order-to-land provisions, a bilateral extradition treaty, and a mutual legal assistance treaty. The United States and Antigua and Barbuda also cooperate through partnerships including the Partnership Framework for HIV and AIDS, the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, and the Caribbean Youth Empowerment Program.

Antigua and Barbuda is strategically situated in the Leeward Islands near maritime transport lanes of major importance to the United States. Antigua has long hosted a U.S. military presence. The U.S. Air Force operates an air station on Antigua under a lease agreement with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.

The Ambassador and Embassy officers are resident in Barbados and travel to Antigua frequently. A U.S. consular agent resident in Antigua assists U.S. citizens in Antigua and Barbuda.

U.S. Assistance to Antigua and Barbuda

U.S. assistance to Antigua and Barbuda is primarily channeled through multilateral agencies such as the World Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank, and through the U.S. Agency for International Development office in Bridgetown, Barbados. Antigua and Barbuda also receives U.S. counternarcotics assistance, and it benefits from U.S. military training, exercises, and humanitarian civic assistance construction projects, including through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.

Bilateral Economic Relations

Antigua and Barbuda is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), which grants duty-free entry into the United States for many goods. The CBI aims to facilitate the economic development and export diversification of the Caribbean Basin economies. Antigua and Barbuda is a member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM). At the November 2013 meeting of the U.S.-CARICOM Trade and Investment Council, the parties approved an action agenda outlining priorities for strengthening and deepening the trading relationship.

Antigua and Barbuda's Membership in International Organizations

Antigua and Barbuda and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization of American States, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.

Bilateral Representation

The U.S. Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda is Larry L. Palmer, resident in Barbados. Other principal embassy officials are listed in the Department's Key Officers List.

Antigua and Barbuda maintains an embassy in the United States at 3216 New Mexico Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016 (tel. 202-362-5122).

More information about Antigua and Barbuda is available from the Department of State and other sources, some of which are listed here:

Department of State Antigua and Barbuda Page
Department of State Key Officers List
CIA World Factbook Antigua and Barbuda Page
USAID Antigua and Barbuda Page
U.S. Embassy: Barbados and Eastern Caribbean
History of U.S. Relations With Antigua and Barbuda
Human Rights Reports
International Religious Freedom Reports
Trafficking in Persons Reports
Narcotics Control Reports
Investment Climate Statements
U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Statistics
Library of Congress Country Studies (see Caribbean Islands)
Travel and Business Information
Caribbean Basin Security Initiative