Kingstown, 25 November 2024. - The Cuban Linesmen’s Brigade, which since August 26 worked in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to support the recovery efforts after the impact of Hurricane Beryl, returned to their homeland in the morning hours of this Monday.
The work of the linesmen was widely recognized during a farewell event attended by the Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves; the Minister of Urban Development, Energy, Administration and Development of Seaports, Grenadines and Local Government, the Honourable Benarva Browne; the CEO of the Vincentian Electricity Company, VINLEC, Dr. Vaughn Lewis, and the Cuban Ambassador, Carlos Ernesto Rodríguez Etcheverry.
On behalf of the people and government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Prime Minister expressed his deep appreciation for the support and solidarity of Cuba, which did not hesitate in sending a group of its best sons to assist a sister nation in a particularly difficult time. He added that his country will always support Cuba in all its causes, mainly in the struggle against the US blockade.
Minister Browne and Dr. Lewis recognized the impeccable work done by the Cubans, where the seriousness, discipline, commitment and rigor were paramount, while the Ambassador pointed out that Cuba will always be ready to respond the call of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, no matter the magnitude of conditions or adversities, simply because it is to help a brotherly people.
In a symbolic gesture of great significance, the head of the linesmen´s brigade, Damián Jiménez, handed over to the ambassador the Cuban flag that from the first day flew in the camp where they stayed for three months and thanked the Vincentian linesmen, with whom they fraternized to create a single united family.
The presence of Cubans, who worked mainly on Union Island, the area most devastated by the hurricane, was a further demonstration of the solidarity that exists between Cuba and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, nations united by unshakable values such as friendship and mutual respect. (Cuban Embassy in St. Vincent and the Grenadines/Cubaminrex).
