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Press Statement issued on conclusion of the Fifth Meeting of The CARICOM-Cuba Joint Commission, 18-19 November 1998, Georgetown, Guyana

The Fifth Meeting of the CARICOM-Cuba Joint Commission chaired by Mr. Edwin Carrington, the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community, and the Honourable Ricardo Cabrisas, Minister of Foreign Trade of Cuba, was held 18-19 November, 1998 in Georgetown, Guyana.

The Meeting noted the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Mitch on the Central American Republics. They expressed the solidarity of the Region with the Central American Republics at this time, noting that Regional countries had already made significant contribution to the International Relief programme. At the same time they noted that the impact of the devastation should be used to urge the International Community to refocus attention on the vulnerability of small states and small economies. The Meeting agreed to continue to sensitise the international Community to this issue with the support of all ACS States, at the Seventh Meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development at its Meeting to be held in April 1999 in preparation for the Special Session of the UN General Assembly to review implementation of the SIDS Programme of Action

The Meeting reviewed developments since the Fourth Meeting of the Joint Commission held in Havana, Cuba, December 1997 and noted that progress had been made in the areas of trade, transportation and economic cooperation and, with properly thought out initiatives could bring rewards to the people of the entire Caribbean. Of critical interest also, were continued efforts to promote human resource development in the Region.

Delegates particularly welcomed the impending opening of a CARIFORUM Trade and Investment Facilitation Office in Havana, Cuba in early 1999 and welcomed a Draft Agreement on a Preferential Trade Area between CARICOM and Cuba for further study by CARICOM Organs.

The CARICOM-CUBA Joint Commission stressed the need to pay particular attention to the issue of transportation, recognising that Caribbean transportation rates were higher than the international average. It agreed to further study this problem and to call on the UN-ECLAC to assist it in its deliberations on this issue.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Lucia used the opportunity of the Meeting to present a cheque of EC$100,000 to support the CARICOM-Cuba Scholarship Programme. Several initiatives were proposed to further enhance the scholarship programme. The opportunities for training and cultural exchanges to assist the community in developing Spanish language competence among children and adults were identified among these. Cuba indicated its intent to expand further opportunities for training and education for Caribbean nationals at their tertiary institutions. A Meeting will be held in March 1999 in Havana to work out the details.

The CARICOM delegation recognised the strides which Cuba has made in the area of medicine, science and technology and exchanged with the Cuban delegation, possibilities for continued collaboration with Cuba in this critical area of development, as well as in the areas of agriculture and fisheries. CARICOM also offered to share its facilities and experiences with the Cubans, particularly in the areas of Tourism and Human Resource Development.

CARICOM stated that in light of the targeting by the Community of a 15 % enrollment at the tertiary level, Ministers of Education of the Region should, in reviewing steps towards meeting that target, take into account facilities available in Cuba and other Caribbean countries.

The Meeting also agreed to intensify dialogue regarding equivalency in educational achievements.

The Meeting noted that tourism was growing exponentially in the Region and agreed that many possibilities exist for the Caribbean to be promoted as a multi-destination area. The CARICOM Side noted that Cuba, with the support of UNIDO, would shortly be undertaking a project in the area of tourism, so as to promote the supply of Caribbean products to the tourism sector.

The Meeting agreed that the CARICOM proposal to have the Caribbean Sea internationally recognised as a Special Area in the context of Sustainable Development, served to underpin the nexus between tourism and the environment of the Caribbean Sea in this Region and to jointly pursue the initiative. In this regard, the issue would be placed on the agenda of a meeting to be held in Cuba in March 1999 among CARICOM and Cuban experts in the fields of natural disaster mitigation.

The Meeting also took the opportunity to discuss political issues of interest to both sides. The reviewed the progress being made to involve Cuba in the Caribbean negotiations in preparation for the post Lome Convention. The Meeting agreed that both CARICOM and Cuba would continue to work assiduously in presenting Cuba’s membership as an ACP State in the ACP ‘s relations with the EU.

Both sides reviewed progress made in the ACS and recognised that the ACS represented an important initiative in the Caribbean Region. The Meeting urged the fullest possible participation of all Member States at the Fourth Meeting of the ACS Ministerial Council in Barbados in December 1998.

The Meeting agreed to share information which would allow for the fuller participation of their countries in the EU/Latin American/Caribbean Summit to be held in July 1999.

Amongst the Cuban delegation, led by Hon. Ricardo Cabrisas, Minister of Foreign Trade of Cuba, were the Vice Ministers, Director and Deputy Director of several Ministries of Cuba. Present among the CARICOM delegation were the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Lucia and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Marketing of Dominica, along with delegations from The Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

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