GUYANESE international relations specialist, Dr. Mark Kirton, has hailed CARICOM’S sustained engagement with Cuba over the past 45 years during a presentation at a conference organised by the Norman Girvan Centre for Caribbean Studies at the University of Havana, Cuba, on Friday.

Dr. Kirton noted that “the courageous decision by the four Caribbean states, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica in 1972 effectively blocked any effort aimed at the isolation of Cuba in the Region.”
Additionally, Dr. Kirton argued, an assessment of a founding pillar of CARICOM –foreign policy coordination — would indicate that the decision was one of the Region’s most significant achievements.

Addressing contemporary Caribbean and hemispheric issues, Dr. Kirton presented the view that sustainable peace and adherence to the principles of international law must guide the Region’s international relations.
Among other issues, Dr. Kirton highlighted energy security as a major concern for hemispheric states and suggested that there be a review of the PetroCaribe arrangement, given the current conditions in Venezuela.

He recommended that energy-producing states, members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) including Brazil, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico seek to establish a comprehensive energy framework and an alternative collaborative mechanism, which would shift the responsibility from one state (Venezuela) to a consortium of states with the coordination from CELAC.

Dr. Kirton also addressed the issue of climate change and disaster management and suggested that, with the increasing frequency of climate-related disasters, consideration should be given to extending participation in the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to include countries of the Greater Caribbean including Cuba, which can bring additional expertise and experience to the Region’s disaster management arena.

The conference which was hosted by the University of Havana is an annual event which coincides with the observance of Cuba-CARICOM Day and attracts scholars and academics from across the Region.