On occasion of his participation at the 9th Summit of the Americas, Skerrit responsibly assumed a declaration of principles, which summarizes the stance of the remaining Caribbean island countries and other states of the continent when he recalled the importance of relations with Havana, especially those of solidarity and cooperation.
“(…) given Cuba’s trajectory and history of extraordinary humanitarianism, I invite this community to join me to call for the end of the blockade against the Government and People of Cuba, and the end of the unjust inclusion of Cuba as a State sponsor of terrorism,” the head of Government said.
Skerrit also denounced Washington’s decision to exclude Cuba from the 9th Summit of the Americas under the argument of disrespect for human rights, a decision that tarnished the call made by Joe Biden’s administration to the meeting, which was intended to be a meeting on the construction and promotion of democracy in the continent.
The Dominican leader reiterated his country’s disagreement with the fact that the United States, as a host country, also excluded Nicaragua and Venezuela from the meeting under the same pretext, and instead, called for inclusion and respect to differences, which caused that Presidents Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (Mexico), Luis Arce (Bolivia) and Xiomara Castro (Honduras) decided not to participate.
“As regional leaders, we must promote inclusion, justice, common purpose, peace and prosperity (?). We must do this through genuine regional talks and a cooperative action,” the 50-year-old politician said.
Skerrit defended the participation of the leaders of all countries of the continent, and recalled that the so-called Inter-American Charter, one of the guiding documents of the Organization of American States (OAS), recognizes the countries’ right to choose their mode of organization, as well as their political, economic and social system, without intervention or interference.
That results, he insisted, in respect for sovereignty and the strategic cooperation among the countries of the region.
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