Taken from Presidency of Cuba
BRIDGETOWN.- Space for celebrations and tributes was this Tuesday the opening of the VIII CARICOM-Cuba Summit, which will be held in Barbados and will be attended by a high-level Cuban delegation led by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist and President of the Republic , Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.
On this day, Cuba and the Caribbean commemorate the courageous decision of the leaders of Jamaica (Michael Manley); Trinidad and Tobago (Eric Williams); Guyana (Forbes Burnham) and Barbados (Errol Barrow), who decided on December 8, 1972 to establish diplomatic relations with the Greater Antilles, putting an end to the isolation to which it was subjected by the United States and the Organization of American States .
Fifty years after this event, during the opening session of the meeting, the Cuban head of state invited to reflect on the meaning of “the achievements made in these years and how much more we can do for the well-being of our nations”.
I bring you, he said, a hug from Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, “admirer of the dignity of our Caribbean brothers and tireless defender of relations between our peoples and governments.”
“This meeting goes beyond formal relationships and testifies to our deep bonds of brotherhood. It also shows the continuity of the ideas and work of our historical leaders, who laid the foundations for consolidating our relations, marked by principles of solidarity, friendship, selflessness and gratitude,” he said.
The President of the Republic spoke about this brotherhood and how much Cuba has done over the years to strengthen it. They are clear principles that the Greater Antilles have always defended and which, in a post-pandemic world, make even clearer the need to promote “more solidarity, more understanding, more cooperation and more unity”.
Inevitable is the evocation of Fidel, whose thoughts and actions have helped bring us closer to the Caribbean and who are today invaluable references for the region.
THANKS TO CUBA FOR EVERYTHING
At this VIII CARICOM-Cuba Summit, a message of gratitude was also brought by President Díaz-Canel, because the solidarity and friendship of the Caribbean with the Greater Antilles has been “unbreakable” for decades and has turned into a bridge over the years , which unites the Latin American and Caribbean peoples.
The need for this integration, essential to the salvation of our peoples in many ways, was also highlighted in her contributions by Dr. Carla Barnett, CARICOM Secretary General; Mía Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados; and Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the Republic of Suriname, a country that will chair the Caribbean Community until next December. In his words, he also thanked Cuba for everything that the peoples of the Caribbean have done in health and other areas.
CARICOM is convinced, confirmed the President of Suriname, that cooperation with Cuba will allow us to find solutions to the many problems that threaten us, as has been the case in recent years.
In this sense, the call by the Prime Minister of Barbados aimed to make this event a space for “the defense of the peoples of the Caribbean, who today more than ever need our cooperation and solidarity. Let’s move on and let our people see the clear benefits of this meeting.”