The Speaker of the House of the Barbadian Parliament, Michael Carrington, received the Cuban delegation presided by MP José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and head of the Department of International Relations, who was accompanied by Idalmis Brooks, official of the Department, and the Cuban Ambassador, Francisco Fernández. The meeting was important not only to highlight the historic moment that both countries celebrate these days marking 45 years of having started bilateral diplomatic relations, but to identify the need for greater parliamentary exchange for the sake of regional integration.
The parliamentary leader pointed out the honor of knowing and sharing with Balaguer, a close struggle´s comrade of Fidel, to whom he wished to express his admiration for Cuba, a country he has not yet visited, although he has wanted to do so for a long time. He reiterated the friendship that unites peoples, parties and parliaments, as well as the historic Barbadian position in favor of lifting the US blockade imposed on the Cuban people.
Comrade Balaguer emphasized the need for greater parliamentary integration, particularly between the Caribbean countries and the rest of Latin America, for what this means for regional integration. In this context, he extended an invitation on behalf of the National Assembly of People's Power for a Barbadian parliamentary delegation headed by Mr. Carrington to visit Cuba, on the most appropriate date for both parties.