–reaffirms its unwavering support of the island

GUYANA and Cuba have enjoyed close collaboration on health, education, culture and sports since the establishment of diplomatic ties in December 1972, and Guyana’s position on the United States (US)’ decades-old economic and financial embargo on Cuba remains unchanged.

The position of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) also remains the same, with the Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque as recent as Tuesday reiterating the regional body’s call for the US to end its embargo on Cuba.
LaRocque was at the time speaking at the presentation of letters of accreditation by Cuba’s plenipotentiary representative to CARICOM, Julio César González Marchante, at the CARICOM headquarters, Turkeyen, Georgetown.
The Secretary-General said, “Excellency, CARICOM knows well the value of unity on the international front, given that co-ordination of foreign policy is one of the pillars of our integration movement.
“We have, as a bloc, joined with like-minded States to both advance and protect our interests, and support causes and initiatives of priority concern to us. This is why we have consistently supported United Nations resolutions aimed at ending the US embargo on Cuba, and will continue to do so.”
Noting that Cuba has, time and again, demonstrated its unwavering support of the Caribbean Community, hence the latter’s reciprocal consistent call for the removal of the US embargo on Cuba, Ambassador LaRocque told the new envoy:
“Ambassador, the four CARICOM countries that in 1972 broke the diplomatic embargo on Cuba in this hemisphere and Cuba’s active involvement and recent chairmanship of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is evidence of the significant evolution of your country’s diplomatic role within the Americas.
“On behalf of the Caribbean Community, I congratulate Cuba on its successful pro-tempore Chairmanship of CELAC, which saw several issues of importance to CARICOM being addressed at the Summit in Havana last January.
“These included recognising the special circumstances of small developing middle-income countries; Reparations for Native Genocide and Slavery; the role of Information and Communication Technology in Development; climate change and disaster preparedness, to name a few. All of these are topics actively being pursued on the Community’s programme of work.”
He also lauded Cuba’s calls for inclusiveness, when considering issues related to the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda. “The Caribbean Community is in full support of that call, and it is my hope that we all take an active role in this global dialogue which will decide the future, beyond the global development compact represented by the Millennium Development Goals. We must ensure that our Region’s interests are adequately and effectively addressed,” he said.
Established in 1973, the regional body has become an important platform for its 15 members to promote regional cooperation, and CARICOM-Cuba joint initiatives have caused the countries to grow closer, and the Region to become more integrated.