Esteemed friend Louis Straker, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,

Esteemed Minister Nimrod, Chair of our meeting,

Esteemed colleagues:

On behalf of the Cuban people and Government, I would like to express our most heartfelt appreciation to the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, host of our meeting. I would like to appreciate the presence of the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Baldwin Spencer, and of the Honorable Edwin Carrington, Secretary-General of CARICOM.

We are gathered here in order to follow up on the political dialogue among our countries and in order to review the state of our bilateral relations, which are steadily on the rise and behaving in a dynamic fashion as a result of the common will of our governments.

Our dialogue has not only consolidated self in those matters pertaining to our bilateral relations, but also on the multilateral scene, through joint actions undertaken in various international forums and through our reciprocal support. Together, we have reiterated the commitment of our countries in defending multilateralism, with full respect for the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and for the principles of International Law, peace, security and development – and we have also undertaken to act in unison in the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement, of which we are all members already.

On a day like today, we reiterate our profound appreciation to our Caribbean brothers and sisters for their steadfast and consistent rejection of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed against Cuba and for their traditional support for the resolution presented by our country on this issue every year at the United Nations General Assembly.

Our countries are facing common challenges. We are all threatened by the severe economic, social, political and environmental crisis endured by our hemisphere and the world.

The colossal squandering and consumerism in industrialized countries jeopardizes the survival of our species. Phenomena such as global warming, the danger of the rise in sea level, the inordinate cutting of trees, the attempt to use foodstuffs to squander fuel in the automobiles of both the United States and Europe, the depletion of fossil fuels and the irrational use of water sources, among others, bring about very serious threats to life in our island States.

In our capacity as small islands, we attach vital importance to the protection and preservation of the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources, including our Caribbean Sea. That is a matter of survival and has a decisive influence on the development of our nations.

Greater political will is required from those who are indeed causing the deterioration of the environment, the developed countries, which should not only honor their commitments, scarce as they are, in terms of Official Development Assistance, but which should also contribute to the economic growth and the sustainable development of the countries of the South, thus making it possible to eradicate famine and poverty and providing access to clean technologies and to their increasingly more protected markets.

Of special interest to the Caribbean region is the fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, areas in which there is close cooperation among our countries. Only a multilateral cooperation approach, on the basis of mutual respect and the principle of shared responsibility, will effectively tackle these problems. Once again, we make our voices heard in order to reject double standards and unilateral certifications, since these are politically motivated and are used against our countries as mechanisms of pressure and blackmail.

Esteemed friends:

The socio-economic reality of our region continues to be characterized by numerous scourges inherited from centuries of colonization and neocolonialism, further aggravated by the unjust international economic order still in place. Afro-descending nations continue to stand their ground against discrimination. Thousands of people are forced to migrate to developed countries in search of jobs, and these exploit and persecute them while fostering the brain drain of our best professionals.

Regional integration, set in motion to serve the interests of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, requires the utmost priority. Integration must be based on an independent development model, attaching priority to regional economic complementation, realizing the will of promoting the advancement of all and enhancing genuine cooperation based on mutual respect and solidarity.

The current efforts by the Caribbean Community to implement the Single Market and Economy, aimed at jointly coping with the challenges brought about by globalization, indicate that it is possible to move forward in these relations of a new nature in the interest of our peoples and nations.

Cuba supports the demands of the Caribbean countries in their capacity as small economies and States that are vulnerable to outside factors. Both in the context of the WTO and in other international forums, Cuba has upheld the right of these countries to be accorded special and differentiated treatment in an effective manner, as well as other facilities conducive to comprehensive sustained development.

Throughout these years, Cuba and the Caribbean Community have made progress in establishing the appropriate institutional framework and have fostered economic and trading relations.

The outcome of the I and II Cuba-CARICOM Summits and of the I Cuba-CARICOM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting indicates that our relations are growing from strength to strength and consolidating on the basis of a common approach to the main issues of concern to us, propitiating a solid foundation for the exchanges and a necessary boost to cooperation projects and programs that are highly positive to both parties.

Today, some 1,400 Cuban professionals and technicians are contributing their efforts and knowledge in 11 sectors of the socio-economic development of CARICOM member countries. Of these, more than 800 are doctors, nurses and health technicians.

Cuba has also made a special effort in training human resources for the Caribbean. Over the last 45 years, our country has seen the graduation of more than 2,400 youths from CARICOM member countries. Of those, more than 700 have studied medicine. We currently have more than 3,000 students, of whom nearly 1,500 will graduate as doctors.

When we met in Barbados during the II Cuba-CARICOM Summit, our Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro announced that more than 10,000 Caribbean eyesight patients had benefited from surgeries. Today, such figure is in the order of over 30,000 patients with surgery performed.

More than 1.8 million Caribbean households will have benefited upon completion of the program to replace incandescent lightbulbs with energy-saving bulbs. This will also bring about savings on the investment of new generating capacities and on the use of fuel.

During the sessions of this meeting we will have the opportunity to debate these issues and exchange views on new proposals for genuine collaboration and cooperation among our countries. In particular, I would like to announce the decision of our government to open a new school of medicine, furnished with creative teaching and training methods, in which 400 youths from CARICOM countries will be enrolled.

Today, I recall the words uttered by President Fidel Castro at the II Cuba-CARICOM Summit in Barbados:

“I hereby reiterate, on behalf of our noble and heroic people, that the Caribbean will always be able to count on the everlasting friendship, the selflessness, the gratitude and the thorough and full support of its Cuban brothers and sisters.”

Thank you very much.    

Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines 29 May 2007