St. John’s. April 6, 2017.An emotional ceremony in the gardens outside the Prime Minister's Office, next to Parliament in Antigua and Barbuda, marked the 23rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Cuba and Antigua and Barbuda.
In the early hours of the morning the national anthem notes of both countries were heard and the solitary star flag was hoisted alongside that of the sister Caribbean nation. The Ceremony for the lifting of the flags was presided by the Honorable Charles Fernandez, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Immigration, and Cuban Ambassador Gustavo Véliz Olivares. Other vice ministers, ambassadors and government officials were also present. On the Cuban side, the counselor Gilda López Mestre and several collaborators from the health brigades and UNECA were also present.
As a ceremony master, visibly moved, the Permanent Secretary in the Chancellery, Ambassador Anthony Liverpool, greeted and stressed the importance of the bilateral relations formally signed 23 years ago in New York. In his speech Minister Fernandez recalled the support that was kindly and generously extended to Antigua by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz. He also highlighted Cuba's enormous contribution to the development of Antigua and Barbuda in several areas such as health and human resources training in Cuba, among others. He mentioned the growing cooperation between the two countries over the years in the context of CELAC, ALBA, ACS and the UN, particularizing Antigua's support for the condemnation of the blockade against Cuba, which prevents further development of our country, he said.
The Cuban Ambassador, for his part, referred to the significance of hoisting the Cuban flag and listening to the Cuban national anthem on the Caribbean sister island, which is an expression of the level of relations between the two countries, which will never and under no circumstances be reversed and that on the contrary will continue to deepen and expand on the basis of brotherhood and mutual respect between the two nations. He emphasized the inspiration and guidance that Fidel Castro's legacy implies as a daily stimulus to Caribbean relations and pointed out the common challenges and purposes shared by Cuba and the Caribbean countries in the face of climate change, and the scarcity of water resources among others.
Both speeches underscored the commitment and importance of the forthcoming celebration in Antigua of the Cuba-CARICOM VI Summit as a vital mechanism for expanding the integration, dialogue and cooperation between Cuba and the Caribbean.
On the eve of the Anniversary, ambassadors Anthony Liverpool and Gustavo Véliz offered live statements to the television news program "Good Morning Antigua". An article published today in the journal "CaribbeanTimes", authored by journalist Everton Barnes, also highlighted the anniversary of relations between the two countries. At the end of the ceremony, Chancellor Fernandez was also interviewed on national television regarding the date.