I wish to thank the Government and People of Grenada for their warm hospitality and join my colleagues in echoing appreciation for being in Grenada today among great company. As we gather on the eve of the Fourth CARICOM-Cuba Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, there are several events that are occurring at the national, regional, hemispheric, and global levels that are guaranteed to usher in changes that will require our countries to adapt to the ever evolving geopolitical environment.
At the national level most of our economies are still coping with the resultant effects of the financial and economic crisis that set in three years ago. We are still exploring ways in which our economies can be stimulated thereby creating jobs and providing adequate healthcare and other public goods that improve the quality of life of our peoples. We continue to adopt and support policies both national and international that aim to promote crime prevention and citizen security. We also continue to implement policies that treat, with great seriousness, food and nutrition security in a world where the harsh effects of Climate Change have manifested itself in the forms of intense storms, rise in sea levels and long periods of drought have all affected food output. Excellencies, there is no doubt that changes are affecting us all nationally. Foreign Minister, we have observed and read of the changes that are also taking place in your country – Cuba. We are pleased to witness that the changes to your country’s agriculture, private sector, tax, and economic policies attest to Cuba’s resilience, its ability to adapt and its commitment to pursuing a development path that benefits not only the people of Cuba, but also the wider Caribbean. in this regard, we will continue to advocate for the removal of the US embargo on Cuba. It is wrong and unjust.
On the regional and hemispheric levels, we can all agree that the scene is changing as well. The development assistance policies and practices that once favoured both Latin America and Caribbean countries continue to erode in the face of shifting priorities by our traditional partners. This has not, however, left us in a weakened position as we too have been adapting to these developments and thereby responding differently. One such response is South-South Cooperation, a form of cooperation that is more fitting for our ever changing needs because it is based on having similar experiences and common challenges and receiving assistance from partner countries with shared development objectives such as Cuba. It is for this reason, Excellencies, that the proposal emanating from the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC) to establish a Working Group on Cooperation for Latin America and the Caribbean resonates with CARICOM as this will be the premier body within the CELAC that coordinates South-South Cooperation initiatives. We look forward to participating in the first meeting of this Working Group in the coming days. Indeed, Cuba has a lot to share in cooperation as it is without peer in the region.
During our deliberations tomorrow we will engage in discussions on issues that are at the fore of CARICOM-Cuba relations including technical cooperation, the effects of Climate Change, CARICOM-Cuba Trade relations, and the impact of natural disasters on our countries. This fourth ministerial meeting occurs at a crucial time. It is a time when our countries celebrate forty years of robust relations and commence a new chapter characterized by our commitment to enrich and improve the quality of our friendship through active engagement and communication with a view to understanding each other's concerns and meet as partners who share common goals and aspirations. The decisions reached at tomorrow's ministerial Meeting will, no doubt, set the agenda of CARICOM-Cuba relations for the next few years and form the basis of our joint contribution towards security and prosperity in our region.
Excellencies, as I close, I turn to the global agenda and I wish to call attention to the Post 2015 Development Agenda which the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly is charged with presiding over. Later this month, when the United Nations General Assembly debates open, we will be called upon to engage in healthy dialogue on the future beyond the global development compact represented by the Millennium Development Goals. We are looking forward to this discussion and it is our hope that we all take an active role in the deliberations with a view to ensuring that our region’s interests are adequately and effectively addressed.
Therefore, as we deliberate tomorrow on various issues that affect both CARICOM and Cuba, it is my hope that it will lend to the strengthening and deepening of our already rich relationship as we confront the challenges and exploit opportunities together for sustainable growth at the national, regional and global levels .
Thank you.
