Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has defended his foreign policy which has often ran him afoul of the United States, saying that he will not be constrained by "an imperial mindset".

"For too long, we have allowed colonialism and an imperial mindset to narrow our minds," Gonsalves said upon his return from a two-week trip to Europe and the Middle East, during which he secured funding from Iran and Libya for the US$200-million international airport currently under construction.