St. John, September 12, 2017.A group of 12 Cuban electricians began their work in Antigua in collaboration with APUA as part of the electrification and modernization of the national electricity system. In the next few days they will join the work of recovery of the network in Barbuda, totally affected by the passage of Hurricane Irma. At present they have already began the electrification of a community under construction in Antigua.
Upon arrival at the airport the group was met by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H. E. Anthony Liverpool, Ms. Karen Cabral, Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Carlos Perez of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Cuban Ambassador, Gustavo Véliz. They were also greeted at the airport by the First Lady, Mrs. Maria Browne.
With the arrival of the electricians, Cuba increases its presence to a total of 65 collaborators in Antigua and Barbuda, a figure that includes two (2) at Public Works, and 51 health workers.
Speaking to Telesur, engineer Dorgi Monzón Santos reiterated Cuba's willingness to show solidarity with Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean islands and the commitment of Cuban aid workers to contribute to the country's recovery in all that is necessary.
Cuban electricians arrived in Antigua in response to a request from Prime Minister Gaston Browne for Cuba to support the recovery of the national electricity grid after Hurricane Irma.
In his message to Prime Minister. Gaston Browne, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz reaffirmed Cuba's invariable position of solidarity by reiterating "the strong willingness of Cuban personnel working in Antigua and Barbuda to support recovery efforts and attend to the needs of the population ".
As part of Cuba's solidarity and support in the difficult moments following Hurricane Irma's passage through Barbuda, four Cuban doctors, continued working at the hospital in Barbuda, and assisted with the evacuation of the population.