Speech by Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, at the Meeting of European Union-Caribbean leaders, prior to the 3rd CELAC-EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on 17 July 2023, "Year 65 of the Revolution".
(Shorthand Versions - Presidency of the Republic)
Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government;
Distinguished participants:
The delegations that have gathered at this meeting of Caribbean and European Union leaders come from countries with very disparate resources and capacities.
The history of the Caribbean countries represented here is marked by centuries of colonialism, slavery and plunder and by the current unjust international economic order. Recognising this reality will facilitate understanding of who we are and what our aspirations are.
This meeting is an opportunity to advance high-level political dialogue, which must be translated into concrete actions for the benefit of our peoples.
Beyond the speeches, the realities of relations between the Caribbean and the European Union are still far from exploiting all the common potentialities that exist.
The current international context, marked by the effects of a multidimensional global crisis exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic, calls for greater understanding and unity between governments.
A more cooperative and supportive look towards the South, especially towards the Caribbean, is urgently needed.
We can expand and diversify joint projects in high-priority areas such as food security, development finance, technology transfer, renewable energy, digital transformation and scientific research, among others.
The effects of climate change affect us all, but not in the same way. The Caribbean is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful regions in the world; but it is also one of the most vulnerable to the global threat of climate change.
For Caribbean nations, coping with climate change is a matter of survival.
The intensification of extreme weather events and their effects is already evident: droughts, hurricanes, rising temperatures, deterioration of soils and sea beds, massive upwelling of sargassum, among others.
In the Caribbean we have qualified personnel and advanced protocols aimed at facing the severity of climate change and preserving the Caribbean ecological system; but more international support is needed, including from the European Union.
Distinguished participants:
Distinguished participants:
The expansion of ties between the European Union and the Caribbean necessarily requires due attention to the CARICOM States' legitimate claims for reparations and compensation for the terrible damage caused by slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, one of the saddest and most shameful chapters in history.
The current "graduation" criteria for Official Development Assistance are unfair: they make invisible the severe multi-dimensional effects of poverty, inequality and vulnerability associated with our status as Small Island Developing States.
It is imperative that these ratings be reviewed and revised to adequately reflect the specific realities and needs of Caribbean nations.
We oppose the arbitrary and discriminatory classification of CARICOM states as non-cooperative tax jurisdictions, which has very detrimental consequences for their economies.
EU-Caribbean relations must contribute to fostering development, stability and peace in Haiti, on the basis of respect for the sovereignty and self-determination of that brotherly people.
Cuba's ties with the other Caribbean nations are based on friendship and solidarity. During more than 50 years of relations we have seen the benefits of cooperation in strategic areas of common interest.
We are deeply grateful to the sister nations of the Caribbean for their permanent solidarity and support for Cuba in all international forums, for accompanying us in our legitimate demand to put an end to the illegal and unjust blockade imposed on our people and for their firm condemnation of Cuba's inclusion in the fraudulent and unilateral list of State sponsors of terrorism.
We also appreciate the expressions of support we have received in this regard from European countries.
Let me conclude by calling for joint efforts to eliminate the huge inequality gap that separates us. It is a difficult task, but not an impossible one.
The Caribbean and the European Union can and must cooperate better! To move towards that goal, count on Cuba!
Thank you very much (Applause).
Source: Granma