Cuba ratifies willingness to strengthen solidarity with the Caribbean Community

 HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 8 (ACN) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla ratified today his country's willingness to deepen ties of brotherhood, cooperation and solidarity with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) so as to cope with common challenges.

On the social network Twitter, the foreign minister recalled that December 8 marks CARICOM-Cuba Day, recognizing the decision of four Caribbean nations, 49 years ago, to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba.

On December 8, 1972, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago established relations with Havana, a move that put an end to the diplomatic isolation of the Cuban Revolution in the Western Hemisphere.

Later on, the birth of CARICOM in 1973 strengthened Cuba’s ties with its 14 member states and five associated states. Nowadays, Cuba is the only Latin American country hosting diplomatic missions of all Caribbean countries.

Since 2002, the Summits of Heads of State and Government of the CARICOM-Cuba mechanism have been held every three years, with venues alternating between the Island and a CARICOM State.

Both parties have signed a Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement, extended in 2017 to fields such as tourism and travel, entertainment, transportation, construction, telecommunications and information technology.

Likewise, CARICOM and Cuba recognize the effectiveness of cooperation in capacity building, construction and sports, whereas Cuban assistance to the member countries stands out in the area of health, including a training program to provide care to HIV-AIDS patients and assistance to the Guyana-based Regional Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Cuba has sent aid workers, as brigades of the Henry Reeve International Contingent, to most CARICOM member states and to other non-independent territories in the region.

Before the pandemic, there were Cuban medical workers in Guyana and Haiti who joined in the fight against and prevention of the disease.

On its end, CARICOM has repeatedly rejected the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade and the actions of that government to subvert internal order in Cuba.