The Government of Guyana yesterday said it stands in solidarity with the Cuban people and “welcomes a sustainable solution to the economic and humanitarian challenges in Cuba”.
A resolution to the current situation, it said, “must be based on the will of the Cuban people and founded on universal values, rule of law, humanitarian law, transparency and good governance”.
The statement added: “We encourage diplomatic dialogue that would promote stability and lead to the prosperity of the Cuban people, and the creation of opportunities that optimise the full potential of the Cuban people in an economic environment that guarantees the freedom of the Cuban people”.
It is unclear what prompted the issuing of this statement. For months, the government here has been accused of turning a blind eye to the plight of the Cuban people.
Georgetown has also been accused of following the US’s line in ending a Cuban medical programme here. This had been a demand of the Trump administration and it has led to some regional countries terminating the medical programme on the grounds that it was exploitive of the Cuban workers and that some of the money earned by the medical personnel ended up with the Cuban government.
On May 27th, Guyana and Trinidad reserved their positions on a CARICOM Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) statement expressing concerns about increasing pressure on Cuba.
While the COFCOR statement did not mention the United States it referenced the six-decade embargo against Cuba and a squeeze on Havana’s ability to access fuel which Washington has been engaged in.
The COFCOR statement also expressed concern over statements suggesting that military aggression against Cuba was imminent. Washington recently positioned the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Caribbean. A Guyana delegation headed by President Irfaan Ali was taken on a tour of the aircraft carrier.
Analysts said the refusal of Guyana and Trinidad to subscribe to the COFCOR statement underlined their increasingly close political and military ties with the US to the detriment of longstanding relations with Cuba.
COFCOR in the statement unequivocally affirmed Cuba’s sovereign right to import and receive fuel, and condemned the obstruction of energy supplies to Cuba, which has precipitated a grave humanitarian crisis.
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