Cuba Urges To Help Haiti To Get Out Of Crisis During Summit With Caricom

During the eighth summit between the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and Cuba on Tuesday, Dec. 6, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel asked all parties to assist Haiti in finding "a peaceful solution" to the political, social, and economic crises it is currently experiencing, Diario Libre reported.

Díaz-Canel stated that Haiti is dealing with "a particularly complex situation," as has happened numerous times throughout history, in his opening remarks to the summit, which is taking place in Barbados.

"On behalf of Cuba, which is in favor of stability and peace in Haiti and which defends the rights of its people to find a peaceful solution to their enormous challenges through dialogue, we express here today the willingness to continue providing a helping hand to our sister nation", he stressed.

Díaz-Canel added that his goal is to "improve the quality of international solidarity with Haiti on the basis of full respect for the sovereignty and determination of that country."

Following Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry's plea for assistance in resolving the crisis, the Caribbean Community (Caricom) volunteered last October to "facilitate dialogue" between the various Haitian parties.

"The heads of government (of Caricom ) call on all stakeholders in Haiti to come together urgently at this critical moment in the country's history to put an end to the political stalemate," the regional organization stressed in a statement.

Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad, and Tobago are the countries that make up the organization.

The Cuban president also expressed his gratitude to Caricom for its opposition to the economic embargo the United States had placed on his nation as well as for its support of the island in the wake of recent natural disasters, during his speech.

The objective of Fidel and Raúl Castro to maintain relations with the Caribbean, cooperate in solidarity, and achieve common international positions was also recalled by Díaz-Canel.

The summit coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972 between Cuba and Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, which had just gained independence from the United Kingdom.