Caribbean Community Condemns US Blockade on Cuba

Member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) condemned the US anti-Cuban measures, in particular the trade and economic embargo and the imposition of new sanctions against the island.

It is noted that the heads of government of the states participating in the association at the next meeting in Barbados regarded such steps by the US authorities as "unjustified application of extraterritorial laws and measures contrary to international law."  CARICOM members also expressed concern about obstructing the work of Cuban medical programs in a number of countries.

In addition to issues of economic cooperation, the development of joint measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus was on the agenda of the meeting.

Founded in 1973, members of the Caribbean communities are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Haiti, Guyana, Grenada, Dominica, Saint Vincent, and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Montserrat (possession of Great Britain).

The United States severed diplomatic ties with Cuba in 1961 in response to the nationalization of American property on the island.  After that, Washington announced the introduction of a trade and economic embargo on this country.  In December 2014, US President Barack Obama at that time admitted that Washington’s previous policy towards Havana was not working, and announced the beginning of a move towards normalizing bilateral ties and easing sanctions against Cuba.  However, the rapprochement between the two countries stopped after Donald Trump became the U.S. president in January 2017, who tightened travel rules for his citizens and imposed a ban on doing business with organizations controlled by the Cuban military.