Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs

Statement by
Senator The Honourable Dennis Moses
 Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs
on the occasion of the
National Day of the Republic of Cuba and
the Fortieth Anniversary of Cuba’s Constitution


Wednesday 24th February, 2016




It is indeed an honour to be here and I am extremely pleased to share in the commemoration of the National Day of Cuba.  At the outset, I take the opportunity to convey on behalf of Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Keith Rowley, and the Government and People of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, our warm greetings to the Government and People of the Republic of Cuba on this significant occasion.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba share a long history of friendship and collaboration. Since the formal establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972, our countries have built a relationship characterised by mutual respect and steadfast support at the bilateral, regional and international levels. This engagement is illustrated through continued cooperation in trade, culture, tourism, education, sport and health.

Some of you may have experienced the fruits of this bilateral cooperation.  You may have been attended to by a Cuban medical professional at one of our health institutions or collaborated with a Cuban artiste on a local production or performance.  One of our Olympians, the recipient of a gold medal in the Men’s Javelin event at the 2012 London Olympics was trained by a Cuban coach.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Trinidad and Tobago has also left a footprint in Cuba through the pioneering outreach of Republic Bank, increased exposure to the steelpan, and via our nationals who have studied in universities throughout Cuba under that country’s scholarship programme with CARICOM.  More recently, last November, Trinidad and Tobago’s Trade Facilitation Office in Havana facilitated a successful trade mission to Cuba which coincided with the 2015 Havana International Trade Fair. I was happy to hear that, by all accounts, the trade mission was a success.  It is our hope that more Trinidad and Tobago companies will follow in the footsteps of Sacha Cosmetics and Angostura Holdings Limited, among others, in pursuit of exciting business opportunities in Cuba.

Your Excellency, Trinidad and Tobago values greatly its relationship with Cuba, as do our CARICOM partners, as evident in structured interaction at the Ministerial level and among our Leaders, the last CARICOM-Cuba Summit being held in Havana in 2014.  We also work closely on shared objectives related to trade, transportation, sustainable tourism and natural disasters within the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and pursue common aspirations in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).  At the wider global level, our collective voice resonates on climate change, sustainable development and the end to the economic embargo, among other matters.

In the international sphere, Cuba has made a seminal contribution to the fight against many of the world’s critical healthcare concerns, particularly Dengue Fever, HIV-AIDS and cancer. The fulsome support of doctors and nurses provided by the Cuban Government to West African states during the Ebola epidemic deservedly gained global admiration.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, in the context of the pursuit of international peace and security and the development of friendly relations among nations, starting first at the regional level, we celebrate the watershed participation by His Excellency Raúl Castro, President of the Republic of Cuba, in last year’s Summit of the Americas in Panama.  In the coming weeks, the historic visit to Cuba by the President of the United States, Barack Obama, will be another defining moment for hemispheric relations.

In closing, Ambassador, allow me to reiterate my very best wishes to the Government and People of the Republic of Cuba as you celebrate your National Day.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in a toast to the prosperity of the Republic of Cuba and to continued strong relations between our two countries.

I thank you.
Felicitaciones!