Bahamians have for far too long taken a hands-off approach to the country’s relationship with Cuba and must now start maximizing the opportunities and possibilities that exist between the communist island nation and the Bahamas, Prime Minister Perry Christie said today.
“I am glad now that we have done this because it puts behind us this peculiar fear that people had when he have thousands of Bahamians in Cuba all the time for healthcare,” said Mr. Christie shortly after stepping off a plane after a weekend meeting in Havana. He was the first Bahamian prime minister to officially visit the Republic of Cuba.
The visit by the Bahamas chief executive to Cuba comes despite the continued embargo by the U.S. government. Some critics have said it could possibly strain U.S.- Bahamian relations.
But Mr. Christie said in an exclusive interview with the Bahama Journal that the Bahamas was exercising its rights as a sovereign nation. He said countries in the region must work together for a common good and Cuba must not be excluded in that partnership.
Mr. Christie noted that the Bahamas has diplomatic relations with communist China and he did not see a relationship with Cuba adversely affecting the country.
Describing The Bahamas’ relations with Cuba as “a developing relationship like with every other country,” Prime Minister Christie led a three ministerial delegation to Havana on the weekend to mark the communist country’s 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with its Caribbean sister countries.
The Bahamas has had diplomatic ties with Cuba since 1974. Mr. Christie said his visit to Cuba was like “taking the cover off an existing relationship.”
There are a number of key areas where the Bahamas must work closely with Cuba because of its proximity to the Bahamas, Mr. Christie said.
Mr. Castro has suggested that a special educational center be established somewhere in the region to train nurses and other health care professionals and prevent a brain drain into the United States, Mr. Christie said.
In addition, the prime minister said the Cuban President agreed to form a stronger partnership with Caribbean nations in promoting the region as a tourist destination.
“Ensuring that Cuba plays a vital part in fostering and promoting the general reputation of the Caribbean as a leading world destination and secondly that we remove any possible conflicts between leading destinations like the Bahamas and Cuba when it comes to tourism and the promotion of tourism,” Mr. Christie said.
The Bahamian delegation included Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service Fred Mitchell; Minister of Public Works and Utilities Bradley Roberts, Transport and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin; Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba and Undersecretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Carlton Wright.
In 1972, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago became partners in diplomacy with communist Cuba.
Thirty years later the Cuban President Fidel Castro stressed the need to renew and strengthen ties with its Caribbean sisters.
The two days of celebrations included an official wreath laying ceremony at the Jose Marti Memorial in Revolution Square. Jose Marti is considered the father of modern day Cuba. A photographic exhibition illustrating Cuba’s Caribbean diplomatic relations was opened.
During the interactive dialogue session, President Castro told the representatives of the 11-member CARICOM countries that the only way forward for countries in the region was through integration and cooperation.
Mr. Christie told the Bahama Journal he thought the meeting was very necessary for The Bahamas, particularly in the framework of tourism, and the drug trade.
“President Castro gave his assurance to all present that he will do everything possible to ensure that Cuba’s tourism industry complemented that of other countries in the region.”
He said that because of concerns about drugs, good relationships exist between the relevant Cuban and Bahamian enforcement agencies.
The venue provided an opportunity for The Bahamas and its Caribbean colleagues to discuss the issue of illegal migration from Haiti.
Prime Minister Christie said that it was important to ensure that The Bahamas is very active “to cause democracy to be brought into play and reinforced in Haiti so that stability can be in place and we can stop this migration.”
By Julian Reid, The Bahama Journal
