Cuba Thanks Belize for Major Aid Shipment Amid Shortages

Cuba’s president is publicly thanking Belize and Mexico today, after a major humanitarian shipment, nearly seventeen hundred tons of food and essential supplies, arrived in Havana. The donation comes as the island struggles through a deepening economic and energy crisis, with President Miguel Díaz-Canel calling it a powerful show of solidarity in what he describes as “difficult times” for the Cuban people. The support also lands amid ongoing shortages, worsened by tighter U.S. sanctions. Here at home, Belize is standing firm. We spoke with Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Oscar Arnold, who says this gesture reflects a long-standing friendship with Cuba, and makes it clear Belize won’t turn its back on the Cuban people. He also spoke about the future of the Cuban medical brigade in Belize.

 

Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade

“Cuba, the regime at the time played a very important part in garnering support – the Non-Aligned Movement for Belize when we were gaining independence. They were there along every step of the way while we were trying to be a young nation and trying to develop. You don’t forget your friends. You don’t cast your friends aside. We understand that when we got into the program with the Cuban Medical Brigade, that it was for a finite period. Um, when that period comes to an end, the ministry, the foreign ministry, and the Ministry of Health will have to make some serious decisions because one, we rely on the, the Cuban Medical Brigade for many of the medical practitioners that we have in country We don’t want to, and we can’t afford to lose some of the specialties that they bring. Um, there are some proposals on the table to look at that. Um, I believe the Minister of Health has spoken to great length into what we want to do with that but at the end of the day, like I said, there was a, there was a finite period for the medical brigade to be here. We will continue to support Cuba and the Cuban people, but Belize’s prides, prides itself on having foreign policy positions that also means that not because we support one country, that means that we are against any other country. We are friends of all and enemies to none.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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