US President Barack Obama spoke with Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller in Kingston, Jamaica on April 9 in advance of the Summit of the Americas in Panama that kicks off April 10. Simpson-Miller said Obama’s visit was a “positive signal of the strong bilateral relationship that exists between Jamaica and the USA.” President Obama said “there is a long history between our two peoples.”

According to reports, he is using the trip to persuade leaders from the region to pursue alternative energy solutions and decrease the influence of oil from Venezuela amongst nations there. Credit: YouTube/HBO