The Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Philip J. Pierre, stated this Thursday that Cuba’s medical missions in the Caribbean are “very important”after meeting with the Secretary of the US Department of State, Marco Rubio, at the annual conference of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) which is celebrated in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
“Saint Lucia has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Cuba as far as medical professionals are concerned. Many of our young people have studied in Cuba. Therefore, it is a very important issue for us,” Pierre stated at a press conference.
The Saint Lucian president thus joined other Caribbean leaders who They reject the fact that the United States pressures them to end Cuban medical missions in their countries.
In his opinion, “the conference will only lead to the strengthening of relations between the United States and Caricom” and the controversy over Cuban medical services in the region will be resolved “amicably.”
For its part, Washington labeled the Cuban health program as “illegitimate” at the beginning of the month.
Caricom defends Cuban medical missions in the face of pressure from the US
Pierre asserted that Caricom leaders have “never had a consensus on any foreign policy issue.”
In this sense, during the opening ceremony of the Caricom summit on Tuesday night, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, criticized the political situation in Cuba and called for free and fair elections and a democratic regime.
For his part, Andrew Holness, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, during his speech at the beginning of the conference indicated that Caricom must “address the situation in Cuba with clarity and courage.”
Holness noted that “it is important to consider this issue carefully and take collective action.”
“Jamaica is firmly in favor of democracy, human rights, political responsibility and an economy based on an open market,” Holness said.
“We do not believe that long-term stability can exist where economic freedom is restricted and political participation limited,” he added.
Called to help the people of Cuba
For his part, the current president of Caricom, Terrance Drew, called on member countries to join forces.
So, he asked “design the necessary mechanisms to help the people of Cuba at this particular moment” because the community can provide help “directly and become a forum for conversation.”
Caricom members are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Caribbean leaders see Marco Rubio’s message about greater cooperation as positive
