ASSERTING that “Cuba is special to us,” the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has re-affirmed its 15-member weight of support behind the government of Cuba in that country’s struggle to get the United States to lift the long-standing trade embargo against the Caribbean country. Cuba’s Foreign Minister His Excellency Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, made a courtesy visit to the 14th informal consultations of the CARICOM Council on Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) held within the margins of the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on Friday last.
At that meeting, CARICOM Foreign Ministers welcomed the Cuban delegation and expressed their appreciation for the functional cooperation which CARICOM Member States had deepened with Cuba in health, education, sport and science. The meeting agreed that they would explore ways to strengthen the collaboration further, especially in new priority areas.
The meeting further expressed appreciation for the continued generosity Cuba had shown in providing technical assistance and support towards enhancing the quality of human resources within CARICOM countries.
Pledging their support for the December Summit set for Trinidad and Tobago, the CARICOM Foreign Ministers expressed hope that the Summit would provide the platform for frank and fruitful discussions and for opportunities to build stronger relations.
The Cuban Foreign Minister also congratulated His Excellency Irwin LaRocque on his appointment as CARICOM Secretary-General noting that he was looking forward to advancing already excellent relations as his country sought to enhance cooperation with CARICOM Member States.