Belize: ‘Friends of All, Enemies to None’

Belize’s newly appointed CEO in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the country’s diplomatic posture remains anchored in “self-determination” and “non-intervention”, even as it navigates an increasingly complicated global landscape.

During an exclusive interview with News 5, Arnold spoke of the Cuban Medical Brigade. He said that Belize has not forgotten the role Cuba played in supporting Belize’s push for independence and its early years as a young nation. That friendship, he said, continues to shape our foreign policy.

“You don’t forget your friends,” he said. “You don’t cast your friends aside.”

Arnold acknowledged, however, that the programme was always intended to be temporary. With its end date approaching, he said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health will face serious decisions, particularly given how heavily Belize depends on Cuban medical practitioners to fill specialist roles that would otherwise go vacant.

The CEO was careful to draw a line between supporting Cuba and taking a position against the United States, Belize’s largest trading partner. “Not because we support one country means that we are against any other country,” he said. “We are friends of all and enemies to none.”

On Sunday, Belize and Mexico sent 1,700 tonnes of aid to Cuba as the island continues to face a U.S. oil blockade, which has changed life on the island of roughly 10 million people.