Mr. Chairman, the Honourable Elvin Nimrod, Attorney-General and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Grenada

Honourable Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Hon. Sir Louis Straker

Your Excellency Felipe Perez Roque, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba

Honourable Ministers of Foreign Affairs of CARICOM Member States

Other Ministers of Government

Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign and Community Relations of the Caribbean Community, Ambassador Colin Granderson

Members of the Diplomatic Corps

Representatives of the Media

Ladies and Gentlemen

As Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) I consider it a privilege to be able to deliver a few remarks at this opening ceremony of a meeting that will assuredly further solidify the strong relations between the Community and the Republic of Cuba.

Allow me to welcome you all to this Second Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of CARICOM and Cuba being held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines - to extend special thanks to the distinguished Foreign Minister of Cuba for journeying to meet us here – in this country of great history and indomitable will. Our thanks are in particular response for the great curative powers that Cuba recently extended to the current Chairman of the Caribbean Community and Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. the Honourable Ralph Gonsalves who, following Cuba’s great medical care, has returned to us reinvigorated and is already over-doing it at work.

Permit me also in the same context to convey through you, Distinguished Foreign Minister, our best wishes for the complete and early recovery of your distinguished President.

Honourable Ministers, allow me now to make a few remarks on two of the main areas of cooperation between CARICOM and Cuba. CARICOM and Cuba have long enjoyed strong and sustained fraternal relations. Historically, inhabitants of the English speaking Caribbean have migrated and settled in Cuba and many pockets of their descendants still exist in Cuba. While this migration has slowed appreciably, the connection between CARICOM and Cuba continues in large measure through the generosity of the Cuban Government and People. As a Region which recognizes the critical importance of developing its human resources, CARICOM Governments, either bilaterally or through the regional integration movement, have enthusiastically welcomed the enormous assistance provided by Cuba in this regard in a number of key areas such as health, engineering, agriculture, sports and culture. Not surprisingly, in the process many true and lasting friendship have developed between visiting students and the Cuban people. A similar phenomenon has also developed between visiting Cuban medical practitioners and health personnel and the people of the Caribbean Community to whom they have been extending yeoman service.

In this general domain I must make special mention on behalf of CARICOM and express a particular appreciation to Cuba for its support in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. However, while there has been some progress, the Region has still a long way to go in this regard.

Honourable Ministers, in two days, the hurricane season in our Region formally begins. As small states in this Region the countries of the Caribbean Community are particularly vulnerable. Cuba though similarly placed has however been able to develop the ability to safeguard its populace from the most severe ravages of this scourge. We therefore welcome the cooperation by Cuba in this field, particularly as regards information relating to best practices. The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre is especially grateful for the information received from the Cuban Institute of Meteorology with regard to the prediction of weather patterns. From all accounts, more severe weather systems are predicted for this year and such assistance will certainly help the Region to better prepare itself thereby saving lives and property.

As a Region comprising small states particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change we must ensure that the international community is fully seized of the impact of the nature of this phenomenon and its consequences for the sustainability of our Region, in virtually every dimension of its existence. We must therefore make greater effort in having the Message on climate change from our Region’s perspective heard globally, and we must ensure that our concerns are met with the level of response which will effectively address them. With Cuba’s present Chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement and Antigua and Barbuda’s of the G-77 and China as of January 2008, we have a unique and wonderful opportunity to ensure that these issues will be brought forcefully to international attention. No doubt, Honourable Ministers you will have much to discuss on this and other important issues on the agenda of this meeting.

In closing, Honourable Ministers, it is clear that in the current international climate there is one that places great need for small states such as ours to seek more and more ways of working together, and helping each other to achieve their development goals. Today’s meeting is an indication that the Governments of Cuba and of the Caribbean Community are not only fully seized of this imperative, but are acting on it. For that I congratulate you all.

With these few words, I wish Honourable Ministers a most successful outcome to your deliberations.