page_title: Barbados–Trinidad and Tobago relations
section_title: Recent[when?] relations
hierarchical_section_title: Barbados–Trinidad and Tobago relations / Recent[when?] relations
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of Venezuelan coast and part of Caribbean showing places visited by James Stirling
context_page_description: Barbados–Trinidad and Tobago relations describe relations between the governments of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. Barbados maintains non-resident representation to Port of Spain, and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago maintains non-resident representation to Bridgetown. Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago formally established diplomatic relations on Barbados' national date of independence 30 November 1966. Both countries are members of many shared organisations including: The Association of Caribbean States, the Commonwealth of Nations, CARICOM, CARIFORUM, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
context_section_description: Recently relations between Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago have mainly been cordial and cooperative, with an edge of wariness on both sides, due to a contentious decade long maritime boundary dispute. Outside of this, there have been little historical differences between the neighbouring countries.  Both nations tend to support one another in International fora such as in the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICCt), financial support for other less developed members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), policy support for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and in other areas. There have been more recent disagreements between two of the leaders of the two countries; Barbadian Prime Minister Owen Arthur and his Trinidadian counterpart Prime Minister Patrick Manning. The maritime boundary dispute was resolved in 2006 through binding arbitration at the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
  Trinidadian companies are major financial stake holders in a number of Barbadian businesses.  This has brought about a tremulous outcry from the Barbadian public on an occasion.  The outcry will usually go away after a short period of time.  The problems were first brought to the fore by a 1999 Soca/Calypso hit-song by Mac Fingall titled "Barbados belong to Trinidad", the song which became a catch phrase, and served to emphasise a number of issues between the two countries sought to satirise the inter-relations but had a negative effect instead. Tensions continued to escalate in Barbados following the popularity of that song and a subsequent hostile take-over bid for the Life of Barbados Ltd. (LOB) insurance company by Trinidad-based Guardian Holdings Ltd. (GHL) Things started to take a turn for the worse once several Barbadian fishermen were arrested in the water between the two countries.
  Barbados and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago signed an agreement to construct an undersea 177 mile oil or Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) pipeline which will stretch from Tobago to Barbados.  The project is to be undertaken by the Eastern Caribbean Gas Pipeline Company Limited.  It will see energy delivered directly from Trinidad and Tobago to the domestic Barbadian natural gas network and feeding into the power plants in Barbados.
  In 2014, Barbados' Ambassador to CARICOM, Robert Morris was accredited as the Barbados' official High Commissioner to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
caption: The coast of Venezuela (South America), Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados
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