NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The presumptive change in United States presidency and administration will not have an impact on the Bahamas-US relations, Bahamian Ambassador to the United States Sidney Collie said yesterday.
“Don’t expect any traumatic change vis-a-vis the relationship between The Bahamas and the United States,” Collie said in an interview with Eyewitness News.
“We have a long and close and deep relationship with The United States as a government for many years ever since Independence and that has continued and that will continue.
“Each administration focuses on different policy positions.
“The Bahamas has a foreign policy position with the United States and other countries…The Bahamas government will decide which of its policies in its national interest it will pursue with the new administration the same way it has done with the present administration.”
On Saturday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis offered congratulations to United States President-Elect Joe Biden after he was declared the winner of the US presidency by The Associated Press.
The Associated Press called the race for Biden after four days of counting votes since the country’s election on November 3.
Biden took an insurmountable lead in Pennsylvania on Saturday, winning the 20 electoral votes in the Keystone State, and surpassing the 270 majority vote needed to win the presidency.
President Donald Trump refused to concede the election, threatening further legal action on ballot counting.
Trump has filed some 10 court challenges in state and federal courts on a number of issues.
He has indicated that he will file an additional four lawsuits in several states.
Collie noted that in the aftermath of the election, with a presumptive winner determined, there have been lots of celebrations across the United States.
He said Biden-Harris supporters are “jubilant” and there have been lots of peaceful demonstrations in all of the major cities across the United States, including a major celebration in front of the White House in Washington, DC.
The Bahamas Ambassador said there are no concerns about an outbreak of violence or civil unrest.
“There’s a lot of hurt feelings and there’s a lot of very strong rhetoric,” he said.
Collie added that The Bahamas has “deep relationships” with republicans and democrats on Capitol Hill, in the Senate, in the House of Representatives, in the White House and throughout the Federal Government Agencies.
“The Bahamas is not caught by surprise”, he said.
