The VIII Caricom-Cuba Summit, which Barbados hosts today, will be a reunion between Caribbean brothers to continue strengthening relations of friendship, respect, mutual support, solidarity and cooperation for the well-being of our peoples, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party Communist of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez affirmed.

This meeting transcends formal relations and attests to our deep ties of brotherhood, the Head of State said. It also shows the continuity of the ideas and the work of our historical leaders, who forged the bases for the consolidation of our relations.

In his initial speech, he assured that this meeting will demonstrate that the unity of peoples is essential for human improvement and to achieve a more just, equitable and sustainable world.

We are convinced, he added, that the summit will reinforce the indestructible nature of our ties.

“I appreciate your unwavering solidarity and friendship towards Cuba. When we receive them in Cuba or like now when we visit them, we Cubans feel like true brothers", the President mentioned at the inauguration.

Likewise, he conveyed to the representatives that Cuba always has them in mind and that when a calamity occurs in one of their countries, we suffer it as our own. We will always be by your side, supporting you and sharing our modest resources, he reiterated.

We have managed together to establish a paradigm in international relations, in which respect and solidarity prevail, demonstrating that a better world is possible.

That was the dream of our predecessors and it will be the endeavor of their followers, he said.

The establishment of diplomatic relations with Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago on December 8, 1972, represented a transcendental event for our regional insertion, putting an end to the attempts at diplomatic isolation imposed by the United States. It also demonstrated the courage and dignity of those countries that allowed them to regularize, in similar terms, relations with all its members.

Since 2014, with the opening of the Embassy of St. Kitts and Nevis in Havana, the presence of the 14 Caricom member states in our country with their respective diplomatic headquarters was completed.

In turn, Cuba maintains the same number of diplomatic representations in each of the member countries.

To date, seven Summits have been held. Its headquarters have alternated between the countries of the Community and Cuba. Holding the ministerial meetings prior to the summits has been an effective mechanism for reviewing the aspects of greatest interest in the bilateral relationship.