Last Updated on December 7, 2022, 12:04 PM AST by Anthony Morris
Dr Terrance Michael Drew, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis travelled to Bridgetown, Barbados, for the 8th CARICOM-CUBA Summit. The Summit is being held at the Llyod Erskine Sandiford Centre on Tuesday December 6, 2022.
A delegation of ministers and high-level government officials accompanied Prime Minister Drew during his trip to Barbados.The panel of ministers included:
- Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Denzil Douglas,
- Permanent Secretary in the PM’s Office, Naeemah Hazelle,
- Resident Ambassador of St Kitts and Nevis to the Republic of Cuba, Verna Mills,
- Head of Regional Integration and Diaspora Unit (RIDU) of St Kitts and Nevis, Ambassador-designate Larry Vaughn
- Senior Assistant Secretary and RIDU Representative Samuel Berridge.
Following the Havana Declaration of December 2002, a CARICOM-Cuba Summit is convened every three years. Initially, The Eighth Summit of Heads of State and the Governments of CARICOM and Republic of Cuba was scheduled to be held on December 8 2023. However, according to the Joint Declaration adopted by the orevious CARICOM-Cuba Summit and the proposal by Prime Minister of Barbados, the 8th CARICOM-Cuba Summit is being held in Bridgetown, Barbados, on December 6, 2022. The 2022 Summit celebrates 50 year anniversary of the establishment of CARICOM-Cuba diplomatic relations.
Some items on the agenda for the CARICOM-CUBA Summit include Opening remarks by:
- Secretary-General of CARICOM, Dr Carla N. Barnett
- Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley,
- President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez,
- the President of the Republic of Suriname, Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the caribbean Community, CARICOM, Chandrikapersad Santokhi.
The work programme includes an overview of the following:
- bilateral relations
- health
- agriculture and food security
- climate change and disaster reduction
- global issues and multilateral cooperation
- Adoption of the Joint CARICOM-CUBA Declaration (It is called the Bridgetown Declaration).
St Kitts and Nevis established diplomatic relations with Cuba on May 10, 1995. The relationship between the two countries has had many positive impacts.
These include:
Scholarship offers to study in Cuba in many fields, including medicine, engineering, and healthcare assistance.
Further, St Kitts and Nevis continue calling for lifting the decades-old US economic Embargo against Cuba. Ambassador David Rivera Perez heads the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in St Kitts and Nevis.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
