Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman Waugh presided over the main event commemorating Cuba-CARICOM Day at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), where the historical ties and brotherhood between Cuba and the Caribbean countries were reaffirmed, according to Cubaminrex.
The anniversary marked December 8, 1972, when Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago established diplomatic relations with Cuba, a decision that broke the political isolation imposed by the United States in the region.
During the ceremony, Chapman Waugh affirmed that the Caribbean nation maintains a commitment to solidarity with its neighbors in the face of common challenges and assured that the Caribbean can always count on Cuba, according to statements made at the event.
On behalf of the accredited diplomatic corps, the Ambassador of Dominica, Ian Charles Douglas, highlighted the enduring historical ties and cooperation between the member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba.
The program included cultural presentations by students from the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) and culminated with the laying of floral wreaths at the Caribbean Heroes Park, in homage to the region’s martyrs.
Among those in attendance were Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Ileana Núñez Mordoche, Director General for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Leiram Lima Sarmiento, Rector of ELAM.
Bilateral cooperation has been strengthened in sectors such as health and education. More than 1,400 Cuban specialists are serving in CARICOM countries, and thousands of young Caribbean people have graduated from Cuban universities.
In her remarks, Chapman Waugh expressed her gratitude for the unanimous condemnation by Caribbean countries of the United States’ economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba, as well as their rejection of the island’s inclusion on lists of state sponsors of terrorism.
The day concluded with a reaffirmation of the commitment to maintaining unity and regional integration in defense of peace and sovereignty, principles proclaimed at the CELAC Summit held in Havana in 2014.
Given its significance, Radio Havana Cuba presents the full text of the Cuban Deputy Prime Minister’s speech:
Speech by Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman Waugh at the commemorative event for Cuba-CARICOM Day at the Latin American School of Medicine. Havana, December 8, 2025
Good morning:
Dear Dr. Leiram Lima Sarmiento, Rector of the Latin American School of Medicine,
Your Excellency, Ian Anthony Charles Douglas, Ambassador of the Commonwealth of Dominica and President pro tempore of the CARICOM Ambassadorial Group,
Honorable members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Cuba,
Dear students of ELAM,
Guests,
We are gathered here today on a date etched in the memory of our peoples: Cuba-CARICOM Day, a symbol of the historic decision that forever united our nations and paved the way for unity between Cuba and the Caribbean countries.
More than five decades ago, four visionary Caribbean leaders—Errol Barrow of Barbados, Forbes Burnham of Guyana, Michael Manley of Jamaica, and Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago—made the courageous decision to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba, contributing with this step to the definitive breaking of the blockade imposed by the United States against our people. That determination marked the beginning of a model relationship that we celebrate today with pride, gratitude, and satisfaction.
Cuba’s National Hero, José Martí, declared: “The Antilles are in the heart of America; if free, they are a guarantee of continental equilibrium.”
Without a doubt, the unwavering will of the Caribbean peoples to fight for their independence and sovereignty, and the courage with which they defend their just rights, are irrefutable proof of the words of the “Maestro.”
Many are the ties and deep the roots that bind us to the Caribbean: history, the identity of our peoples, their culture, their traditions. We share common ancestors, the scars of slavery, the memory of the slave trade, the long struggle for our longed-for independence, and the defense of the right to be free and sovereign.
In our historical and solidarity-based relationship, we have been guided by the principles of South-South cooperation as a model for relations between developing countries, the defense of the right to self-determination of peoples, and social justice.
The friendship between Cuba and the Caribbean countries transcends mere rhetoric; we can demonstrate concrete and transformative results. More than 1,400 Cuban specialists in health, education, construction, and other sectors offer their services to our brothers and sisters in all CARICOM countries, benefiting countless communities.
Thousands of young Caribbean people have graduated from Cuban universities in a wide range of specialties, and hundreds more are currently training in our classrooms. To our collective pride, we are honored to have a large representation of these young people, future doctors, with us at this celebration. Together with the thousands we will continue to train in the future, they are and always will be ambassadors of the brotherhood between our peoples.
Likewise, Cuba is honored by the friendship, support, and solidarity of the Caribbean countries. We deeply thank you for your unanimous condemnation of the unjust economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States against our homeland and for your rejection of the infamous inclusion of Cuba on the list of countries that supposedly sponsor terrorism. We are equally honored by the firmness and fairness with which they have defended our medical cooperation against the defamatory and unscrupulous maneuvers and campaigns of imperialism.
The Cuban people and government are immensely grateful to their Caribbean brothers and sisters, who in difficult times for our country have always been among the first to extend a helping hand, providing invaluable solidarity. Material donations have arrived in Cuba from the Caribbean, not from countries with abundant resources, but from small and vulnerable nations that share what they have with Cuba, as only a family can.
Dear brothers and sisters,
We face common challenges, such as climate change, extreme weather events, the existence of an unjust and exclusionary international financial system, the middle-income trap, and humanity’s historical debt to the nations that were victims of the slave trade and slavery. We will continue to fight together against each of these complex problems.
The Caribbean can always count on Cuba in every battle to be fought.
Today, we observe with great concern the spread of the imperialist threat across the warm waters of the Caribbean. Cuba condemns in the strongest terms the United States’ military deployment in the Caribbean Sea and its escalation against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, whose evident purpose is to overthrow the constitutional government of President Nicolás Maduro Moros, which would have incalculable consequences for the peace, security, and stability of our entire region.
Under the current circumstances, we maintain our commitment to multilateralism, international law, and respect for the Charter of the United Nations. Latin America and the Caribbean must be preserved as a Zone of Peace, as proclaimed by all the Heads of State and Government of the region during the CELAC Summit held in Havana in 2014. This is an obligation we have to the peoples of Our America.
Peaceful coexistence, unity in diversity, and integration among our countries are necessary conditions for our peoples to confront the great global challenges and overcome underdevelopment.
Dear Caribbean brothers and sisters,
Today we celebrate not only an anniversary, but also the certainty that our bonds are unbreakable. Cuba is, by right, part of the Caribbean, and we are deeply proud to be part of this great family of dignified and resilient peoples. Our history, our shared identity, our mutual solidarity, unite us in a common destiny.
We reaffirm, with heartfelt emotion and genuine commitment, that the Caribbean can always count on Cuba, however difficult and adverse the circumstances may be.
Long live the friendship between the peoples of Cuba and the Caribbean!
Thank you very much.
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS and CUBA MINREX ]
