STATEMENT BY DR. THE HONOURABLE SURUJRATTAN RAMBACHAN,
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO ON THE OCCASION OF CARICOM –CUBA DAY
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
Mine is the pleasure of addressing these brief remarks to you this evening, as we commemorate
the formal establishment in 1972, and celebrate the continued flourishing relationship between
CARICOM and our sister Caribbean country, the Republic of Cuba. Some of you may of course
be aware that the engagement by CARICOM Member States with Cuba predates that formal act,
as many of our nationals had already made their way earlier that century to assist with the
sugarcane harvest in Cuba, as construction work on the Panama Canal where they were
employed, was drawing to a close. The result of that labour migration is still in evidence through
some of the culinary and cultural expressions which persist in the region of Camagüey, Cuba.
Ladies and Gentlemen, as we mark this occasion we are reminded that it is axiomatic that
collaboration among countries at the bilateral and multilateral levels, serves to augment the pool
of resources from which countries can draw to facilitate the process of development within and
between them.
In that context, the current realities confronting the Caribbean which impinge on that process of
development are well known. The phenomenon of climate change; the lingering impact of the
global financial meltdown; the deleterious effects of the transhipment through our territories of
narcotics, arms and persons with the attendant consequences; the strain on our health systems
and societies wrought by communicable and non-communicable diseases, are but some of the
constant reminders of the vulnerabilities inherent in the openness of our economies and societies.
It is against the background of these realities, and the consequent need for collaboration among
our countries, that the commemoration today of CARICOM - CUBA day, a celebration of a
mutually rewarding if not symbiotic relationship, assumes added significance.
A cursory review of the CARICOM-CUBA relationship will reveal that there already exists a
solid foundation on which a programme of mutually beneficial interaction can continue to be
built.
Formal relations between CARICOM and Cuba had their origins in 1972 with the establishment
of diplomatic relations between Cuba and four (4) independent Caribbean countries at the time,
among which was the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
At present several CARICOM
countries maintain resident diplomatic missions in Havana, and Cuba has reciprocated in most, if
not all of the capitals of CARICOM Member States. Therein lies the testimony to the importance
which CARICOM countries ascribe to their association with Cuba. Even as I speak, Trinidad and
Tobago’s Ambassador- Designate to Cuba Her Excellency Jennifer Jones-Kernahan (who may
be in the audience this evening?), is finalising her preparations to take up her assignment
hopefully before year’s end.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the range of issue areas that feature in the CARICOM – Cuba agenda
runs the gamut from cooperation in the areas of training, health, education and energy, to such
issues of regional and global import as terrorism, drug trafficking, security, environment and
climate change. The continuing relevance of these issues to the region points to the potential for
the continued sustainability of our relationship.
Technical cooperation at the regional level has been limited to the Cuban Scholarship
Programme for forty-five (45) CARICOM students annually, in the areas of Physical Education
and Sports, Accounting, Natural Sciences, Humanities, Economy, Special Education, Health and
Medicine. Cooperation activities at the bilateral level have been more pervasive, with assistance
being provided by Cuba in various areas of social and economic development significance to
individual Member States within the framework of the respective technical cooperation
agreements.
Of particular and current relevance is the assistance provided to disaster afflicted CARICOM
States on various occasions. Most recently, food, medicine and medical supplies and personnel
were sent to Haiti after the January 2010 earthquake. Indeed at the last CARICOM Council for
Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) Meeting in May of 2010, it was agreed that that
the consistent role played by Cuba in Haiti, including its post-earthquake response, should be
formally recognized with appreciation.
I am pleased to report also that Trinidad and Tobago, while cognisant of the practicality of
region-level arrangements with Cuba, is actively pursuing initiatives at the bilateral level. During
my recent visit to Cuba to attend the Third Meeting of Foreign Ministers of CARICOM and
Cuba in September of this year, some of the areas for greater cooperation between Trinidad and
Tobago and Cuba which were broached include in the area of health: cooperation in combating
the spread of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes through a collaborative approach
between medical personnel and institutions from both countries; provision by Cuba of medicines
particularly for the treatment of diabetes and ulcers; assistance from Cuba in the area of
rehabilitative care for people with disabilities such as strokes and amputations and specialized
nursing training in areas such as HIV/AIDS care. It is my hope that in the very near future,
further concrete manifestations of closer collaboration with Cuba can be realized across the
Region.
Beyond the substantive areas of cooperation, the CARICOM – Cuba relationship speaks to a
desire of the countries in the partnership to maximise the limited yet invaluable resources
available to them in the context of South-South brotherhood. It speaks also to a yearning to be
self-reliant in the face of global threats and challenges which are invariably not of our own
making and necessitate preventative or remedial actions beyond the capacity of our resources
individually. It is this perspective which underlay the 1972 decision by those four (4)
independent Caribbean countries to defy the pressures that were being brought to bear at the
time, and establish a relationship with a sister country which shared their reality and their vision
of the future, a reality and vision which they continue to share today. It is a perspective which
gives today’s commemoration its true significance.
In closing, Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Government and People of the Republic of
Trinidad and Tobago, I wish to pay public tribute to the enduring benefits reaped from
CARICOM’s and Trinidad and Tobago’s multi-faceted engagement with Cuba, and to register
our commitment to solidifying that fruitful relationship to the benefit of all the countries
concerned.
Thank you.