GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC -The 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Friday described Cuba as a “significant development partner” as it marked the 51st anniversary of “fraternal friendship” between the regional integration movement and Cuba.
In a brief statement, the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat said it’s joining the wider Community to observe CARICOM Cuba Day in observance of the occasion that began in 2002 to celebrate their fraternal friendship.
“CARICOM and Cuba share 51 years of formal relations. Cuba, a significant development partner, has supported the Community in building its human resource capacity through scholarship programs in several fields of study, including medicine and agriculture,” the statement noted.
Meanwhile, the Cuban ambassador to St. Lucia, Dr. Charles Isaac, said CARICOM countries and Cuba belong to a “great pool of the world community” that is both “genetically and culturally an expression of the historical experience that has given rise to our presence as a unique people.”
He said from the struggles against slavery and extreme exploitation to universal adult suffrage and independence, “as Caribbean people, we continue to embrace each other, with an understanding, conviction, and vision that we are stronger together and every milestone is but a platform to build upon.”
He said that the golden jubilee is a foundation to build upon and that the dynamism of Caribbean integration is characterized by the consolidation of relations among CARICOM members, seeking to foster continuous development based on four pillars, namely economic integration, foreign policy coordination, human and social development, and security.
“This process does not only entail the active participation of member states and associated members in making decisions and acting in the collective best interest, but it also involves the advancement of OECS integration, which is made up of smaller member states of CARICOM.”
The Cuban diplomat recalled that the historical diplomatic relationship between CARICOM member states and Cuba began on December 8, 1972, with the first four independent states: Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago.
“We championed the process of international solidarity with the Cuban revolution through establishing diplomatic relations by each member state as they acquired independence. This year, we celebrate the 51st Anniversary of Cuba – CARICOM relations- a proud, fulfilling and great historical moment for our Caribbean people.”.
He said CARICOM member states have “consistently expressed solidarity” with the Cuban people as they annually joined the world community in condemning the United States imposed economic, commercial, and financial blockade at the United Nations General Assembly and other international fora.
“It does not only affect Cuba, but also the other brother and sister islands of the Caribbean in an indirect, but significantly impactful way.”.
Charles said that Cuba and CARICOM have benefited from this relationship in education, politics and diplomacy, health, agriculture, engineering, and sports.
“Emerging opportunities for trade in goods and services have eluded some of us for a while. However, we have always been of the view that notwithstanding the embargo, there must be a way of sustainably building our relations beyond solidarity through trade and cooperation in areas such as agriculture, tourism, culture, sports, infrastructure, climate change management system and access to products and services related to Cuba’s impressive bioengineering technology.”
The diplomat said that the global crises and needed responses to existent conditions that “confront our countries and our peoples, expresses itself as heightened tensions associated with the European based-western war, Israel – Palestine war, energy-related heightened inflation, climate change challenges, ethnic tensions associated with global wealth distribution imbalances, with calls for a new world economic order and multilateralism.”
He said there is a “critical and urgent need for people-centered policies at the national level and strategic functional cooperation initiatives that enhance our regional and hemispheric integration processes.
“We must all be conscious that along with the ongoing global challenges, we are confronted with… significant obstacles to our integration process and sustainable development.
“The painful lack of air and sea transportation to adequately facilitate the free movement of our people as a necessary condition to foster economic activity and cultural integration,” he said, noting “the recurring imposed impact of climate change and our struggling capacity to mitigate and effectively respond.”
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