The 5th CARICOM Ministerial Meeting - Cuba met on Saturday with the presence of 17 senior officials from the bilateral mechanism. In the capital Havana Hotel Libre, representatives of the region discussed key issues for integration, cooperation and sustainable development of the Caribbean.
Just after the closing of the event, Rafael Zamora, Acting Director General for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a press conference that the event "is an expression of the excellent relations between CARICOM and Cuba, based In solidarity and mutual support in favor of our common interests. "
He added that the agenda "allowed a fruitful exchange", linked to issues such as integration in the framework of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the current problems of the region and Economic, social and environmental challenges; In the interest of promoting peace and social justice.
"We evaluate the Caribbean as an inseparable part of Our America, there is no total integration possible without this area," added Zamora.
The official explained that both groups prioritize areas of cooperation in the areas of transport, tourism, climate change and confrontation with natural disasters, on the fundamental working axes of both the ACS and CARICOM.
This year a new event for the integration of the area debuted, this is the 1st Cooperation Conference of the ACS, born on 8 March, which Zamora described as "an example to boost the region" and revealed that during the Today's meeting was widely supported.
He also confirmed that the participating ministers reaffirmed the commitment of the declaration of CELAC as a zone of peace and respect for all the States of Our America.
At present, Cuba counts with 1,538 collaborators distributed in the 14 member countries of CARICOM, of them 1,335 in the health sector. In the training of human resources, Cuba has prioritized the formation of more than 5,400 Caribbean people and at the moment there are 822 students in different university centers throughout the Island.