SVG to get more aid from Cuba

A recent visit to Cuba by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Trade Sir Louis Straker has secured assistance in a number of areas for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

The Minister shed some light on his visit to Cuba and Haiti at the Foreign Affairs Conference Room on Wednesday.

Boasting of being the envy of the 92 diplomatic missions on the island, Sir Louis credited the strong relationship between the countries, along with the closeness that this country’s ambassador to Cuba Dexter Rose has with the various government ministers.

The range of assistance, most of which will be of the technical nature, covers almost every aspect of national development.

Assistance includes but is not limited to the mechanization of the local arrowroot industry, artificial insemination and the commercial production of red kidney beans and paw paw.

In the medical arena, a number of Cuban doctors specializing in various fields are expected to arrive in the near future to work along with those already here and the local staff in areas such as radiography and HIV/AIDS training.

Assistance will also be coming in the area of hospitality training, site restoration, disaster management, construction, sports and education.

The Minister also indicated that Cuba’s construction Minister may be visiting St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the near future.

Sir Louis also indicated that during his trip to Cuba, his delegation also participated in Independence celebrations, and visited Minister of Culture Rene Baptiste, who is recovering from knee surgery.

The Cuban trip was the second of the two diplomatic missions; prior to that he visited Haiti for a meeting of CARIFORUM.

The main topic of discussion was the Regional Preparatory Task Force, which was set up to help with getting the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) up and running. (JJ)