Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), His Excellency Mr. Edwin Carrington will join CARICOM Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Havana for the First CARICOM-Cuba Ministerial Meeting on Thursday (15 July).
The Ministerial Meeting is being held in keeping with the commitments contained in the December 2002 Havana Declaration of Heads of State and Government of CARICOM and Cuba on the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Member States of CARICOM and the Republic of Cuba. The Declaration provided for the holding of a Summit Meeting of Heads of State and Government every three years and a Meeting at Ministerial level, within 18 months of each Summit Meeting to focus on the priority issues facing the Caribbean region.
The Ministerial Meeting is expected to review CARICOM-Cuba relations and advance a work programme for CARICOM-Cuba cooperation. Matters to be discussed include the status of ratification of the Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement between Cuba and CARICOM, cooperation in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the development of human resources and Cuba's cooperation programmes in CARICOM countries, and the holding of the Cuba-CARICOM Joint Commission. The Ministers will also discuss plans for the celebration of Cuba-CARICOM Day as well as preparations for the Second Cuba-CARICOM Summit.
The CARICOM Secretary-General, in a statement issued prior to his departure from Georgetown, said the Meeting would provide an opportunity to assess developments in the CARICOM-Cuba relationship and set the framework for the near future. He added that the Meeting was also important in the ongoing efforts to improve living standards for the Caribbean peoples and encouraging progressive development of the economies of CARICOM countries and the Republic of Cuba. “CARICOM-Cuba relations are being advanced in the context of the need to accelerate the process of integration in the Greater Caribbean and against the background of the importance we attach to the sub-regional integration processes aimed at increasing the international competitiveness of the region and facilitating its development,” Mr. Carrington said.
