“The U.S. blockade is the biggest obstacle for the economic and social development of Cuba and its relations with the world.” – Cuban President Raul Castro
Saint Mary, Antigua Barbuda, Dec 8 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Raul Castro affirmed today his country supports its neighbors of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in all their just demands and urged to prevent the destruction of the constitutional order in Venezuela.
‘We support the claim of receiving cooperation according to their real situation and needs and not according to income per capita statistics that classify them schematically as medium-income countries and exclude them from flows of financial resources necessary for their development’, he said.
In his inaugural speech at the 6th summit Caricom-Cuba, in session in this southern locality, he asserted that Havana ‘joins its voice against the persecution by centers of transnational financial capital that look to damage the international reputation of Caribbean countries’.
Equally, he absolutely rejected those practices that -he said- ‘hinder their economic development through the inclusion in illegitimate and unilateral lists, and single out in dangerous supranational projects supposedly to fight corruption’.
‘We firmly support the just demand of the Caribbean Community to be compensated by the colonial powers for the horrors of slavery and smuggling’ of slaves, he added addressing the heads of government of 14 Caricom state members.
The heads of State and Government, said Raul Castro, ‘we also have the duty to advance with still more solid steps to political, economic and social integration of Latin America and the Caribbean’.
He valued as successful the route of Caricom, the participation of all its members and Cuba in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Clacs) and in the Association of Caribbean States, as well as the membership of some in the Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of our America.
Those purposes have contributed to the progress of regional integration, which we must continue to promote, urged the president when he pointed to the participation in Petrocaribe which has represented a ‘guarantee and significant contribution to the development of our nations’.
He highlighted the signing of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace during the summit of Celac in January, 2014 in Cuba, as the base for the development of respectful relations between states.
He pointed that is why it should not be allowed that Venezuela, one of the Latin American and Caribbean nation, ‘suffers continuous actions that pursue the destruction of its constitutional order’.
‘Cuba repeats its permanent solidarity and support to the heroic Venezuelan people, its civic-military unión, the Bolivarian and Chavista government, headed by president Nicolas Maduro Moros’, stressed Raul Castro.
We Cubans, he added, deeply appreciate our Caribbean brothers for their immutable position of respect and solidarity to our homeland. ‘We will never forget their permanent support to the resolutions against the blockade on Cuba, as well as their numerous expressions of solidarity’.
He considered that support is still more relevant compared to the setback caused by the actions of new U.S. president against the island, and highlighted the U.S. blockade is the biggest obstacle for the economic and social development of Cuba and its relations with the world.
