Cuban President Raul Castro Visits Trinidad & Tobago

Cuban President Raul Castro Ruz during an official visit to the Caribbean nation of Trinidad-Tobago in early December 2011. There are stronger ties developing between the Caribbean and other Latin American states., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Havana
December 8, 2011

"I bring to Trinidad &Tobago the eternal gratitude of our people"

Yaima Puig Meneses, Special correspondent
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad & Tobago

President Raúl Castro Ruz arrived in Trinidad and Tobago yesterday morning, December 7, to begin his first official visit to this sister Caribbean nation.

Port of Spain greeted the Cuban President in a heavy rainstorm, but with incomparable hospitality. Despite the rain, the official welcoming ceremony went ahead as planned. The troops were already lined up on the airport forecourt and Army General George Maxwell Richards, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; Prime Minister Kamla Persard-Bissessar, and Surujrattan Rambachan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Communications awaited him at the foot of the aircraft.

The Prime Minister lamented the persistent rain, to which Raúl replied with his habitual sincerity, "Rain is welcome, drought is bad news," and smiled. After being introduced by the Trinidadian President to the Joint Chief of Defense, the group walked along the red carpet to the official reception platform. Meanwhile, TV cameras captured every detail of this unusual but warm reception.

The reception began with a musical band playing the anthems of Cuba anf Trinidad and Tobago and a 21-gun salute.

The Honor Guard Commander and Joint Chief of Staff, together with the Cuban president, proceeded to inspect the troops.

In the Piarco International Airport’s diplomatic lounge, President George Maxwell Richards introduced Raúl to the members of his cabinet, and greeted the Cuban delegation comprising Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, Vice President of the Council of Ministers; Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla; and Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment.

The convoy then made the 26-kilometer journey to the Kapok Hotel, close to the center of the capital. The rain did not let up for an instant. During 30 minutes the delegation moved along the large freeway and as it approached the city, colorful modest homes became visible on the hillsides, as well as modern buildings and houses in more subdued tones with pitched roofs to protect them from the constant rainfall in these parts.

Trinidad and Tobago are two islands together conforming one Caribbean nation, although they have different histories. Trinidad was discovered by Christopher Columbus during his third voyage to America in 1498, while Tobago remained isolated and inhabited by Carib Indians until the arrival of the Dutch in 1632.

As was the case with other colonies in the region, both islands were the scene of numerous invasions: Dutch, French and English, until they were finally ceded to England in 1802, with their status as British colonies formalized in 1814. After a gradual process of certain autonomy, they attained their independence on August 31, 1962.

Initially its national economic base was sugar, which little by little was replaced by oil, which became the country’s principal economic activity in 1940.

Located in the southern Caribbean Sea, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has an extension of 5,000 square kilometers and barely 1.33 million inhabitants. The official language is English, while French, Spanish, Creole, Hindi and Chinese are also recognized.

Port of Spain is a very clean city, currently decorated for Christmas and New Year festivities, as is the Kapok Hotel.

In the afternoon, the Cuban President and his accompanying delegation were received by President George Maxwell Richards at the Knowsley Residence. Before the start of official talks, Raúl signed the Visitors’ Book, thus recording his visit to this sister nation. He wrote, “I bring to Trinidad and Tobago, together with fraternal greetings from the Cuban people, our eternal gratitude for the full relations established 39 years ago, in conjunction with Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana.”

He thus recalled that historic December 8, 1972 when these four states decided to establish diplomatic links with Cuba, from 1962 isolated from most of the other nations in the region on the instructions of the United States and the Organization of American States.

After this meeting, the Cuban President, accompanied by his Trinidadian counterpart, placed a wreath at the Memorial Park monument honoring those who served and the memory of those who died in World War I and World War II.

Under continuing drizzle Raúl was then conducted to the Diplomatic Center for official talks with Prime Minister Kamla Persard-Bissessard, the first woman to hold this position in Trinidad and Tobago. There, he also signed the Visitors’ Book, acknowledging with satisfaction the level reached in relations with the Caribbean nation, and confirming on behalf of Cuba, a readiness to continue developing them, as with the entire Caribbean Community.

Once again, the Cuban president thanked the Prime Minister for the stand taken by her country, Jamaica, Guyana and Barbados in 1972 in initiating diplomatic relations with our nation, a gesture he affirmed was a contribution of incalculable value.

He recalled that it was decided during the 1st CUBA-CARICOM Summit in Havana on December 8, 2002 to constitute this date as CARICOM-CUBA Day, in recognition of the courage of these four nations. Moreover, their decision, made 39 years ago, opened the way to the remaining Caribbean countries to develop ties of friendship and cooperation with Cuba.

In the evening of December 7, the Cuban delegation attended an official dinner at the invitation of the Trinidadian President in the Knowsley Residence, where the two leaders highlighted in their speeches the historical significance of the decision taken in 1972. Raúl emphasized that Cuba will continue fighting alongside all the Caribbean nations to consolidate the friendship and integral nature of their relations. The dinner ended with a toast to the Caribbean Community, to Trinidad and Tobago, and to Cuba.

The night was advancing in Port of Spain but its activities continued. Final preparations were underway in the National Academy of Performance Arts, the venue for the 4th CARICOM-CUBA Summit on December 8. Once again, integration is a basic point on the agenda of the Caribbean nations. Once again our peoples are coming together to discuss shared concerns and to extend their relations in the midst of a global economic crisis, whose reach and depth remains unforeseeable.

For that reason, as President Raúl Castro stated in the opening ceremony of the 3rd CARICOM-CUBA Summit in 2008 in Santiago de Cuba, “In such circumstances, the commitments which we have succeeding in building in recent years assume greater relevance, where cooperation and solidarity constitute the pillars of our relations.”