Cuba is seeking to strengthen its relationship with Barbados. Addressing the media during a wreath laying at the Emancipation Monument, more popularly known as the Bussa Statue recently, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba Rogelio Sierra Diaz said he believed the future between the two countries was very promising.
Speaking with the assistance of a translator, Diaz said one of the reasons for his visit was to consolidate ties between Barbados and Cuba.
“We see a very optimistic future. Our two leaders will certainly work together in order to strengthen relations between the two countries. We are certain that the next few years will be very important in order to achieve those goals. We can work together in many areas and we have been working on them for a certain period of time and the goal is to give continuity to that,” he said.
Diaz added that in the past, the two countries had strong ties of cooperation and the goal was to continue.
“Our goal is to continue cooperating and to provide assistance in sports, health and other areas, just to name a few. There are many areas where we can work together in terms of addressing the effects of climate change and disaster emergency. We will continue working with Barbados and other members of the Caribbean so that they can be compensated for damages caused by slavery. Of course, both our countries have much to contribute to the Caribbean and Latin America,” he added.
The wreath laying ceremony by the Cuban ministerial delegation was to pay tribute to those who fought during slavery.
“We have come here to pay homage to our forefathers who fought in slavery years ago. As our commander in chief did in 1998, we have come here to pay tribute to the freedom of the people and we feel very honoured to have done so,” he added. (DB)
