In a speech last night to the Sandy’s Rotary Club, Premier Dr. Ewart Brown detailed a commitment to global outreach by the Government of Bermuda in the face of economic challenges around the world.

Premier Brown said in his prepared remarks:

The commitment of my Government in these challenging times is to ensure that Bermuda’s voice is heard wherever and whenever it needs to be.

At this time, perhaps more than any other in Bermuda’s 400-year history, we must be the opposite of insular, the antithesis of protectionist.

The Sandy’s Rotary Club is a group comprised largely of local businesspeople.

The Premier explained the recent creation of a Government office in London is based on creating an international presence for the country in an effort to look after domestic issues. He called the move “long overdue”, but described it as coming to fruition at an opportune time.

Recent Bermuda Government partnering with the Latin American Risk and Insurance Managers Association (ALARYS), the Government of Nova Scotia and the University of West Indies were also examples of global outreach, according to Premier Brown.

“You cannot make an impression on the world stage if you are confined to saying your lines on the stage of Ruth Seaton James,” he said in the speech.

The Premier took questions from Rotarians following his address.