HAVANA, Cuba — In a gathering that blended diplomatic ceremony with heartfelt fraternity, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and Cuba marked the 34th anniversary of their formal diplomatic relations on Saturday, with a celebratory event hosted by SVG’s Havana embassy. More than three and a half decades after the two Caribbean nations first established official ties, the occasion brought together over 36 ambassadors and chargés d’affaires accredited to Cuba, senior Cuban government representatives, Vincentian students studying on the island, and special guests who have shaped the bilateral partnership over decades.
Speaking at the reception, SVG’s Ambassador to Cuba Angella Jackson — herself a graduate of a Cuban university — framed the three-decade partnership as a model of South-South cooperation built on shared respect and mutual solidarity. “This is 34 years of friendship rooted in respect, solidarity, and cooperation between two brotherly peoples,” Jackson told attendees. She outlined Cuba’s long-standing contributions to SVG’s development, noting that the island has trained hundreds of Vincentian professionals, deployed medical teams during SVG’s most critical moments, and shared technical expertise through transformational national projects.
Key landmark infrastructure projects, including Argyle International Airport and the Georgetown Diagnostic Centre, alongside the daily work of Cuban medical professionals in Kingstown, stand as tangible proof that the bilateral bond extends far beyond formal diplomatic exchanges, Jackson said. “This friendship is not only diplomatic — it is deeply human,” she emphasized.
In turn, Jackson reaffirmed SVG’s unwavering support for Cuba on the international stage, where the small Caribbean nation has long defended Cuba’s sovereignty and spoken out against the decades-long U.S. economic blockade. Acknowledging the severe energy challenges and widespread blackouts currently impacting Cuban households, Jackson extended explicit solidarity from SVG, a country that has itself weathered repeated natural disasters and adversity. “We know what it means to face hardship, and we know the Cuban people, like our own, are deeply resilient. Cuba is not alone,” she said, pledging that SVG will continue to stand with the island.
Drawing from her own experience as a young student who came to Cuba to study and grew into a diplomatic leader, Jackson noted that 34 years of partnership has demonstrated that South-South cooperation is not just a concept — it is a living, impactful reality. “I came here as a young Rasta, and I transformed into a professional woman; a person who understands that we should not give only from what is left over, but from what we have,” she said.
The event paid special tribute to Cuban engineers, construction workers and medical professionals who have delivered projects and care across SVG, including those who worked on Argyle International Airport and served with the long-standing Cuban Medical Brigade. Jackson called these professionals living, breathing examples of the bilateral friendship, adding: “Here, there is not only diplomacy. Here, there is family.” Closing her remarks, she called for continued deepening and diversification of ties, noting that small and large nations alike, when united by mutual respect, can work together to build a more equitable global order. “Thank you, Cuba, for 34 years of unconditional brotherhood. Long live the relations between our peoples!” she said.
Cuba’s Vice Minister of International Relations Josefina Vidal Ferrero joined the event alongside other senior Cuban foreign affairs officials, including Rafael Dausa Cespedes, Director for America, Mexico and the Caribbean, and representatives from Cuban civil society organizations such as the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the People. Vidal Ferrero recalled that diplomatic ties were first established in 1992 under then-SVG Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell of the New Democratic Party — the same party that currently holds office in Kingstown. “The history of these 34 years reflects what two peoples who are geographically, historically and culturally close can achieve. We have helped and supported one another over these more than three decades,” she said.
Vidal Ferrero highlighted that to date, nearly 400 Vincentian students have accessed free university education in Cuba — including Ambassador Jackson herself, who graduated with a degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Ciego de Ávila in 2007. Noting that two of Jackson’s three children, who have Cuban heritage, were in attendance at the event, Vidal Ferrero called the ambassador a living reflection of the fraternal bond between the two nations.
She went on to outline a long roster of shared achievements, from a national program to bring electric lighting to thousands of Vincentian homes, to hundreds of life-changing eye surgeries performed by Cuban specialists that restored sight to Vincentian residents. Alongside regional partners Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba also contributed core engineering and construction support to build Argyle International Airport, a transformative infrastructure project for SVG’s economy and connectivity. When La Soufriere volcano erupted in SVG in 2021, Cuba was among the first nations to deploy emergency support, and today maintains a permanent presence of medical staff, construction experts, and energy and civil aviation specialists across the country.
Vidal Ferrero also emphasized that SVG has reciprocated this solidarity, standing with Cuba through its own challenges — including devastating hurricanes and the widespread shortages caused by the long-standing U.S. blockade, which Vidal Ferrero described as a “genocidal” policy that targets the Cuban people through hunger and deprivation. She noted that SVG has consistently joined its Caribbean neighbors in denouncing the blockade, and that Cuba will never forget this unwavering support. “Our gratitude is eternal,” she said.
Beyond diplomatic remarks, the event featured a vibrant cultural program showcasing the heritage of both nations, centered on Vincentian cultural traditions. Three Vincentian students studying in Cuba performed Alston “Becket” Cyrus’ iconic patriotic ballad “St. Vincent, My Homeland”, while veteran 35-year-old steelpan arranger and band captain Tillal Webb wowed the crowd with steelpan arrangements of global hits including Kevin Lyttle’s “Turn Me On” and Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailando”. Webb was later joined by the Band Gala Mayor for a set that included additional Vincentian classics and the iconic Cuban folk song “Guantanamera”, alongside original compositions from band leader Alejandro Mayor. The celebratory gathering concluded with a joint toast to the future of the bilateral partnership.
