The Honourable Branville McCartney, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Immigration Honourable Ministers of the Government of The Bahamas Ladies and Gentleman Good Evening. It is an honor for me to be here with you for celebrating the Cuba-CARICOM Day and the 35h Anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the Republic of Cuba. Bahamas and Cuba officially established diplomatic relations on November 30, 1974 when it had only lapsed little more than one year of the independence of the Bahamas. Cuba was among the first non members of the Commonwealth that established diplomatic relations with the Bahamas. From that point on, the relations between the two countries have been strengthened. Today, we can say that the Bahamas and Cuba maintain diplomatic relations based on respect, consideration and good understanding. The Bahamas people have always been considered by the Cubans as brothers and sisters, being representatives of the socio-cultural diversity that characterizes the Caribbean that unites us. In these 35 years of bilateral relations there have been a stable political, trade, cultural and sports exchange. Both countries have had laudable benefits of these links. The relation between the two governments has been supported by a legal framework for cooperation. There are several agreements signed, including: The Basic Agreement on Technical and Economic Cooperation (2009), the agreement on the transfer of people sentenced (2001) and the cooperation in combating illicit trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1996) and an agreement between the Olympic Committees of both countries. Still are pending other agreements of vital importance to both countries. And I am sure that situation will change in the near future. Trade between the Bahamas and Cuba, amounts to $ 4 million annually. Bahamas has become the eighth largest trading partner of Cuba in the region. We worked together, Cuban and Bahamian entrepreneurs to advance further in this sector. The recent visit to Cuba by a large delegation of officers and members of The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce to Havana Trade Fair 2009 and the commitment to sign shortly a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chamber of Commerce of Cuba, are examples of the will that exists between the two countries to increase our trade relations. We must make special efforts to strengthen our common trade. Ladies and Gentlemen: The collaboration between Cuba and the Bahamas is one of the factors that have strengthened our relations, especially in the field of health and education. In August 2003 was signed the first cooperation agreement by the Ministry of Education of Cuba and the Ministry of Education of the Bahamas. Under this agreement, 79 of our best specialists have remained in the Bahamas for a period between two to four years, teaching 14 specialties in 25 Government Senior or Junior High schools. Today the Cuban brigade has 31 teachers: 15 work in Nassau and the rest are distributed across 9 family islands. From the total, 6 work in schools for special education. About three thousand students benefit from their work, which have been praised on several occasions by the Bahamian authorities, by the students and by their families. Cuban teachers are trained under humanist principles and have as a premise for their work the idea of Cuba’s National Hero José Marti, “Humanity is our Homeland”, and they are enshrined in their classrooms to give their best and get the best results possible, despite the barriers imposed by language and family distance. The Eye Program also had a positive impact on the Bahamian people. Approximately 400 Bahamians patients were operated in Cuba, free of charge, with positive results. There are hundreds of Bahamians who travel to Cuba every year to receive medical care in specialized clinics. Ladies and gentlemen, Cuba will always be grateful to those governments of Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago who broke the inertia on December 8, 1972, and established relations with Cuba despite foreign pressures against that decision and the attempts to isolate my country. We are confident that the Bahamas, had it been independent at the time, had joined in the aforementioned countries. Given this scenario that threatens to accelerate the disappearance of humanity, the countries of CARICOM and Cuba should unite with one voice to defend the interests of our people and confront together the challenges that imposes the prevailing international economic order. It is our collective duty to protect our Caribbean Sea from pollution and negligent overexploitation of its resources. The vulnerability of our ecosystems, vital to our economic livelihood, should be high on our priorities as a region. To wait for later generations to take control of the situation will certainly be too late for the wellbeing our children and grandchildren. Dear Friends, Much remains to be done. These fraternal countries need, in an environment of respect and understanding, to reach consensus and agreements that enable us to move forward. That's the premise that we work with at this moment and we are sure we will keep working together to that end. As stated by the Comrade Fidel Castro on November 30th , 2002, on the occasion of the Cuba-CARICOM Summit in Havana: “Unity, dignity and rational and solidarity-based integration are the only possible means to confront the common challenges of the globalized, unequal and discriminatory world that threatens us all”. In the name of friendship and the historical, cultural, family and other ties that unite us, I thank you all for the immense honour you have made to us in accepting the invitation to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Cuba and The Bahamas and the 37th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago and our own country, a beautiful gesture of solidarity unprecedented in our hemisphere. Allow me to reaffirm, on behalf of our noble and heroic people that the Caribbean will always be able to count on the eternal friendship, generosity and appreciation as well as the full support of its Cuban brothers. Dear friends, let me propose a toast to the peoples of The Bahamas and Cuba. Thank you very much (Cubaminrex – Embacuba Bahamas). |