Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade
Press Release
Public Relations and Media Affairs Unit
21 Dominica Drive
Kingston 5, Jamaica W. I.
Tel: (876) 926-4220; Fax: (876)929-6733; e-mail: informja@cwjamaica.com
JAMAICA CELEBRATES 44 YEARS OF CUBA TIES
(MFA&FT Kingston: December 12, 2016)
Jamaica joined the rest of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in commemorating CARICOM-Cuba Day, on December 8.
On that day in 1972, the first 4 independent CARICOM states - Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Barbados - took the historic step of establishing diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cuba, thus ending Cuba’s diplomatic isolation within the region.
Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, signalled the importance of CARICOM-Cuba Day, as a celebration of the bonds of friendship, goodwill and cooperation which exist between the region and the Republic of Cuba.
“Jamaica is proud to celebrate this day with the Government and People of Cuba, which marks the region’s recognition that mutual respect, cooperation, good-neighbourliness and integration are the most important requirements to meet the common economic, political and environmental challenges that face us,” the Minister said.
Minister Johnson Smith praised Cuba's contribution to regional development in the areas of healthcare, education, human resource development, sport and disaster management.
Noting the solemnity of the celebrations, in light of the recent passing of former Cuban president and leader of the Cuban Revolution, Dr. Fidel Castro Ruiz, Minister Johnson Smith stated, “Jamaica and CARICOM have extended their most sincere sympathies to the government and people of Cuba and we continue to stand with them as they mourn.”
The Minister also emphasised Jamaica’s strong advocacy for Cuba to be re-integrated into the wider hemisphere, noting the significant progress made, with the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between Cuba and the United States of America and the subsequent reopening of diplomatic missions.
Contact:
Ann-Margaret Lim: 564-4241