Prime Minister of
Saint Lucia praises Cuban assistance
•
Through Operation Miracle, 14,000 low-income
people have been attended free of charge in that
eastern Caribbean island and another 1,800 have
received treatment in Cuba to recover their vision
IN Havana, Saint Lucia Prime Minster Kenny D.
Anthony praised aid received from Cuba, especially
via Operation Miracle, through which 14,000 low-income
people have been attended in that country, free of
charge, and another 1,800 have received treatment in
Cuba to recover their vision.
The
hearts of St. Lucians have been moved by this
tremendous support, declared Anthony upon arriving
in Cuba on May 22 for a visit, during which he is to
hold talks with President Fidel Castro and other
leaders, and tour sites of scientific, economic,
cultural and social interest.
The Prime Minister’s stay is an expression of
mutual interests in building closer political ties
and cooperation, and strengthening the existing
excellent relations between the two countries,
according to a daily Granma article.
When asked by reporters, Anthony pointed out that
in his meeting with Fidel he hopes to strengthen
ties in public health and sports.
Cuba and Saint Lucia established diplomatic
relations August 23, 1979 and since then Cuba has
shown appreciable collaboration with that eastern
Caribbean island principally in the spheres of
health and in the formation of human resources.
MORE THAN 200 ST. LUCIAN STUDENTS IN CUBAN
SCHOOLS
By virtue of that cooperation, 235 Saint Lucian
scholarship students are enrolled in Cuban
educational centers, 214 of them in higher education.
Currently, 162 more are taking courses in areas of
health, sports and other university disciplines.
In his address, the Prime Minister also thanked
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez for having included
his country in the PetroCaribe agreement, which he
recognized is vital, given that small economies are
the most affected by the rise in oil prices.
Anthony, who holds the Order of José Martí,
presented to him by Fidel in 1999 in accordance with
Council of State of the Republic of Cuba, traveled
accompanied by his wife and a large government
delegation from his country.
Elected Prime Minister on May 23, 1997 and re-elected
for a new mandate in November 2001, the
distinguished visitor is also minister of finance
and of economic affairs and information, as well as
leader of the Labour Party of Saint Lucia.
Saint Lucia, the second of the so-called Windward
Islands in the eastern Caribbean, is situated 40
kilometers south of Martinique and 32 km northeast
of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its territory
extends over 616 square kilometers, and its
population numbers 164,791.
