T&T US Ambassador defends spending on office refurbishments

Ambassador Dr Neil Parsan

Neil Parsan says the money he spent on refurbishing his Washington office was well spent. In an interview with the Guardian newspaper the T&T Ambassador to the United States commented on critics who have said the work at the new Washington office was "lavish and excessive". 

Parsan explained that the building had been unoccupied for some time after the previous Manning PNM administration bought it for US$12 million. 

"Undertaking this project was a judicious move,” he told the paper. He added that employees had worked under cramped conditions and he considered it a priority to create a better working environment. 

"At the cost of US$211,000, we managed to convert bedrooms into offices, and kitchens into functional working space. We also refurbished the elevator in the old building next door, again under budget, and within time,” he declared.

Parsan also spoke about T&T's growing role on the global market, which he attributes partly to his office, referring to the African-Latin American-Caribbean Business Forum and the Global Gas Council that he established . 

 “Today’s diplomacy is more integrative and pragmatic; assertive and collaborative,” he said. “My approach has been to sell economic space in the Caribbean with emphasis on Trinidad and Tobago. The reality is that you cannot sell our country in isolation. We are a household in a gated community."