BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, January 9, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, and Cuban Ambassador to the Federation, His Excellency Abelardo Fabio Hernández Ferrer, have reaffirmed the commitment of their respective Governments to further strengthen the shared bilateral relations between both countries.
These commitments were given earlier today (January 9) when His Excellency Hernández Ferrer paid his first courtesy call on Prime Minister Harris since assuming the post as Cuban Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis. Also in attendance during the meeting was Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr. Osbert DeSuza.
During the discussions, Ambassador Hernández Ferrer expressed gratitude towards the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis for the support it has given to Cuba as it relates to calling for an end to the U.S. economic embargo.
The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Republic of Cuba share a mutually beneficial partnership, with assistance being provided to the Federation in the area of human resource development, through the provision of scholarships.
Prime Minister Harris stated, “Cuba has long been a strong and reliable voice in support of Developing States, and St. Kitts and Nevis, like other countries within CARICOM, we have benefited from that strong advocacy. The international agenda is rife with many issues in which we hope again to collaborate and cooperate with Cuba. Some of these issues are issues relating to climate change, climate mitigation and resilience measures. Other issues relate to the challenge of the blacklisting of states by the OECD and also the emerging issue of de-risking of banks within Caribbean islands.”
Dr. Harris also highlighted the strong support St. Kitts and Nevis has received from the Cuban Government towards the social development of the Kittitian and Nevisian people, particularly in the areas of health and education.
“We would want of course to see both of these areas strengthened, broadening the cooperation and the supply of specialist services to our country, and of course the training of our citizens in Cuba,” the prime minister added.
From the period 2014-2017, a total of 27 Cuban scholarships were offered to nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis, of which 23 students pursued studies in Medicine and two pursued studies in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.
