Georgetown, October 6, 2019. The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Cuban State Mission in Guyana paid tribute to the 73 victims who perished in the 1976 air disaster orchestrated by the CIA before the Monument to the victims of such Abominable crime.
There were present at the ceremony: the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Dr. Karen Cummings, the President of the National Assembly, Barton Scotland, the Charge d'Affaires a.i. from the Embassy of Cuba, Ricardo Lamas Camejo; Attorney General, Basil Williams; Minister of Social Protection, Keith Scott; members of the medical brigade; relatives of the victims and members of the diplomatic corps.
The Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton, spoke on behalf of the President and said that Guyana has rejected and will continue to reject the use of force to resolve disputes between states and abhors the crime of international terrorism and emphasized: " Today, Guyana assures the world of its commitment to make the Caribbean a zone of peace ",
“It was the first time that Guyana, Cuba and the region experienced such a tragedy. The four Caribbean States: Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago established diplomatic relations with Cuba in December 1972, four years before the tragedy, ”said the Minister and assured the attendees that the memory of those who lost their lives in the tragedy they will never be forgotten ... he posited
On the Cuban side, Ricardo Lamas Camejo, Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Cuba in his speech he said that the victims were killed in one of the most brutal terrorist actions orchestrated against the Cuban Revolution.
"The champions of the Cuban fencing team did not know that behind their swords, sabers and foils, the imperial demons were hidden to destroy all their efforts and dreams", "This horrendous crime killed young Guyanese innocent people with the dream of studying medicine in Cuba and return to their beautiful country as true professionals ... Koreans, who by chance boarded this plane, were visiting Latin American countries on a friendship trip. "
He affirmed that although there have been terrorist actions like this one, the Cuban people will remain firm and will always wish eternal glory to the martyrs of Barbados.
After the speeches Dr. George Norton, Ricardo Lamas Camejo and the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Guyana, Mr. Alexander S. Kurmaz paid floral tributes by the monument.
