 2019 marks 40 years since the establishment of ties between Saint Lucia and the Republic of Cuba. We are currently at the Cuban Embassy where we are going to speak with Ambassador His Excellency Alejandro Mareng on bilateral relations between Saint Lucia and Cuba, namely health, sports, education and construction. Ambassador Alejandro Simancas Mareng, welcome to Saint Lucia, welcome to this interview. Thank you. Okay, first of all Ambassador, tell us a bit more on your diplomatic background, how you got involved in diplomacy and what were some of your previous postings before you came to Saint Lucia as the Ambassador of Cuba to Saint Lucia. So first of all I would like to thank you for giving me this possibility for addressing to the Saint Lucia people which of course we consider brother people to Cuba. Before coming here I was working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Havana. I have been in the last year always responsible for the relationship with Europe, or a bilateral relationship with Europe. So I was, my previous post were in Turkey and in Russia. So now I am in the Caribbean in Saint Lucia, which is a priority for us, for Cuba, because it's our main area, our family, and we feel that way here in Saint Lucia. We feel in family, we feel very well, so we are very, very happy to be here. But as you said, so what has been the experience like? You said you're happy to have been here, but what has the initial few months been like for you, having been posted in Saint Lucia? We have been working a lot, we have been already for four months. I present my credential to the Honourable Governor-General the last day of the year, so December 31st. Since that we have been working a lot, but I can tell you that we have worked a lot, but at the same time we have enjoyed the friendship, the cooperation that we have found everywhere we have been. So it has made our daily work to be more pleasant, more enjoyable for us to feel among friends in family. And we have discovered a beautiful island, wonderful people, very good friends, people who, of course, are very, very similar to us, we share the same culture, the same interests, the same aspiration here in the Caribbean, the same traditions, we are coming from the same history. So we have found a familiar people to us, very similar to us. Wonderful, and it's soon going to be 40 years since the establishment of relations between Saint Lucia and Cuba. We know that there have been many areas of cooperation, and those that would really stand out would be that of medicine and sports, and also you have been involved also in construction and also education. Could you look at each of them individually? We'll probably start with what has been most commonly known as far as the relations with Saint Lucia and Cuba in the area of health. So maybe you can look back at some of those interventions that Cuba has been able to assist Saint Lucia in terms of assisting before healthcare. Since the same beginning of the Cuban Revolution, really the one who has the long side about our relationship with the Caribbean was Fidel. Since the same beginning, he identified that the Caribbean was our family, that it was our priority, even at that time, at the beginning of the 60s, most of the Caribbean countries have not got yet their independence. So very quickly, as soon as they got their independence, we established a relationship with them, and particularly with Saint Lucia in August 23rd, so just a little more than six months after the independence of Saint Lucia, we established bilateral relationship. So this year we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of our bilateral relationship. We are planning some activities we want to celebrate officially, friendly, like we think our bilateral relationship deserves. And from the same beginning, the principles that are based on our relationship with Saint Lucia are very clear, the solidarity, the friendship and the cooperation. From the same beginning we have felt with the duty to contribute to the Caribbean and to Saint Lucia from our humble capabilities, but always to work in order to contribute. That way now about 700 Saint Lucia have graduated in Cuba, most of them in the field of medicine as doctors, but also engineer, architect, veterinarian, psychologist, so in different fields, but most of them in the field of medicine. And hundreds, maybe about 1,000 already Cuban doctors have been here working in Saint Lucia. Right now we have a brigade of 34 Cuban collaborators, most of them in the field of medicine, but also in the field of sports, education and construction. But particularly in the field of medicine we have a very strong cooperation. Most of the Cuban doctors are based in Victoria hospital, but they are also in beautiful, in Saint Lucia hospital, in different places. And particularly in Victoria hospital is working the ophthalmological center, which is let's say the emblematic, the most important place for medical bilateral cooperation because they are doing a very, very important work in the ophthalmological speciality, helping the Saint Lucia people to recover the side, to soothe all the problems they have with the side, with their eyes. And the origin of that ophthalmological center was the so-called miracle operation by which about 1,000 Saint Lucia were taken from Saint Lucia to Cuba to be operated in Cuba some years ago. Now we have the possibility to have the treatment, the center here in Saint Lucia, so the treatment is directly here. But as I told you, always from our humble capabilities, always we will work very hard in order to contribute to Saint Lucia in your social development, in your economic development. And it also enriches us from the human point of view the possibility to contribute to your development, the possibility to have that direct contact with the Saint Lucia people. I always say to them, to the Cuban doctors, from a very honest way that the real Saint Basil hitting Saint Lucia are they at the Cuban doctors. They are the ones who are day by day in touch with the Saint Lucia people, in their happiness, in their sadness, but every day, every day. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Saint Basil. A good chance for us to take our first break. And we'll be back in just a moment to look at more Saint Lucia-Cuba cooperation. I'm competitive! I am productive. I am creative. I constantly improve what I do and how I do it. I am output oriented. I never sublimate. I give of my best, always. The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council embracing excellence. Thanks for staying with us. And we are continuing our discussion with the Cuban ambassador in Saint Lucia, His Excellency Alejandro Simantia Sumaring. Ambassador Sumaring, SPOT has been a very big area of cooperation between Cuba and Saint Lucia. We know that annually we have at least one extra collaborator coming in. And as far as their supporters' program is concerned, and you've assisted Saint Lucia over the years as far as technical support for sporting development in Saint Lucia. Tell us a bit about that and how do you see Cuba continuing to assist Saint Lucia as far as the development of sports is concerned? Sports is a priority in Cuba. It's a part of our culture. I have seen, sorry, that in Saint Lucia it's the same. We have the same spirit, sport spirit, that this is something that we share. And here in Saint Lucia are working trainers in the field of basketball, in track and field, and in the Ministry of Sports. There is a Cuban specialist also working, advising in the methodological system of the sports. So it makes us very happy that we can contribute also in that way. I have seen and I have met the glory of the Saint Lucia sport, Leven Spencer. And first time I saw her was by television in Cuba, competing against Cuba. She won, but we were happy that the one who won the Cuba, the one who beat the Cubans was Saint Lucia Sports. And we are really very proud about the success of the Saint Lucia sport. We share about, like, if they were the successors of the Cuban sports. By the way, my son is a member of the Valley Soccer Academy. They play football during the week in the Castris Comprehensive Secondary School. He is very, very happy and he participated in a kind of championship during the Easter. So he makes us very happy to see how he enjoys among the Saint Lucia friends and Lucia trainers and chatting with them just as a friend. But of course this is a priority in our cooperation. Yes, it's good because Cuba has long been recognized as one of the sporting powerhouses in the entire Caribbean. So I think Saint Lucia is very privileged to have had technical expertise from Cuba and as far as laying the foundation, as far as technical aspects of sporting development is concerned. And I want to look at the two other areas that the Cuban collaboration is really in the forefront. But maybe not too well known, construction and education. Tell us about those. Construction is a feeling which we have collaborated for many, many years. Some Cuban engineers are working here very hard together with the, sorry, inside the Ministry of Infrastructure. Also in Slaspa and they have been collaborated for many, many years. Not only here in Saint Lucia, in the Caribbean, in the different countries of the Caribbean. Particularly, for example, after the last hurricane hit, so strong, Dominica, a very big Cuban brigade of constructors, electrical engineers went to Dominica to help. They are still working there. So it's just, it's a very important example for bilateral cooperation in the Caribbean. And in the field of education is the same. Here are some Cuban specialists working together with the Saint Lucia specialists in the Ministry of Education preparing and contributing to the curricular activities in the schools. Contributing to the alphabetizing program. In Cuba it's very well developed and very well known in the world program which have the possibility to teach the people to read and to write in a very short period of time. This program is called Yes, I Can, in Spanish, Joseph Well. And he has been very famous around the world because he has the possibility, as I told you, to teach the people to read and write in a very, very short period of time. So this is something, another feeling which we are working together. Okay, wonderful. And we know that you've continued to assist not just Saint Lucia, other Caribbean countries in this field, like you mentioned. But we want to look at now at one of the local partners that you have had, the Saint Lucia Cuba Humanistic Association. At this point I want to find out a bit more how has that cooperation continued and how have they been able to assist you in terms of getting the presence of the Cuban Embassy and the contribution made by Cuba much more on the ground among Saint Lucia? Before talking about the Saint Lucia Humanistic Solidarity Association, I would like just to point out that our bilateral relationship is even more than the cooperation in the field of health, education, construction. We have an excellent relationship. We have a very, very good political dialogue in a very high level. We really appreciate the support and solidarity of the government and the people of Saint Lucia to Cuba during all these 40 years, particularly in the difficult moments when we have faced the reinforcement of the blockade from the United States. And we have found always here in the government and the people of Saint Lucia a very strong solidarity. We appreciate particularly the words of solidarity of the Prime Minister Alan Chastnet last September in the General Assembly of the United Nations condemning, demanding the lifting of the blockade against Cuba. And it just reflects the excellent level of our bilateral relationship. And we have a very important legal framework of difference, agreements which give us the possibility to expand even our cooperation. We are trying particularly to reinforce our bilateral relationship in the field of bilateral trade, I mean our economic and commercial relationship. This is an issue, a part of our general bilateral relationship which we think that has been stayed a little behind. That's why we have been trying to stimulate. For example, now at the end of June it will be held in Santiago de Cuba, the second Cuban city, and by the way the most Caribbean Cuban city, it will be held the so-called Spokarive. This is a trade fair dedicated, organized exclusively to the Caribbean. And we are inviting the Saint Lucia companies and the Saint Lucia commercial institutions like the Chamber of Commerce, the Agency for the Promotion of Saint Lucia Esports, the Saint Lucia Manufacturer Association. We are inviting to take part in this trade fair. Because it will be very useful for our bilateral relationship but also for the stimulating, promoting the trade relationship in the Caribbean. In the framework of the fair it will be held also the business forum of the Association of Caribbean States. So it is a very important opportunity to foster, to promote our trade, commercial, economic relationship. Mr. Masso, thank you. We'll be taking a second break right now but we'll continue in just a moment. Thanks for staying with us. We continue with our interview with the Cuban ambassador to Saint Lucia, Alejandro Semancas Mareng and Ambassador Mareng. We know that your foreign relationships is something that is very important as it assists you in getting the sort of collaboration that you want for not just countries like Saint Lucia but others in the Caribbean and particularly those of Latin America. Tell us a bit more about your foreign policy as it currently stands now. Just if you allow me very quickly, I cannot forget. It would be a big mistake if I forget to mention, you mentioned the work of the Saint Lucia Humanistic Solidarity Association with Cuba because they are doing wonderful job. These are wonderful people who are working very hard, voluntarily, from a very deep feeling of friendship between Cuba and Saint Lucia, fostering this very clean and sincerely feeling of friendship between the Cuban people of Saint Lucia. Right now, in Cuba, there is a big delegation of the association about 20 people. They took part already in the May 1 demonstration in Havana. It's a big demonstration about one million people and they were among them. They participated with the Saint Lucia flag. And by the way, watching the demonstration in the Cuban television here, we saw the Saint Lucia flag. We saw them marching. So it makes us very proud and very happy to see these wonderful people marching in Havana together with the Cuban people in the May 1 demonstration. And so far, they are continuing in a program, traveling all Cuba from Havana to Santiago de Cuba to the east, and they are coming back this weekend. I could not miss the opportunity to mention them and you remind me about them, but these are really wonderful people who reflect this clean and sincerely friendship between the Cuban and Saint Lucia people. So, sorry, coming back to your question. The Cuban foreign policy, of course, is based in the principles of the defense of the international law, the international solidarity in the framework of what established the letter of the United Nations. And we have right now a very wide foreign policy with all of the world. We have particularly some strong commercial relationship with some countries like, for example, Venezuela, China, Russia, with the European Union, Canada. Of course, it's a main trade partner for Cuba. But the Caribbean, Latin America and the Caribbean particularly is our family, as I told you, it's a very important priority for Cuba. And Cuba has been doing very important efforts in order to reinforce this relationship and this base of cooperation, friendship, political dialogue, understanding here in our region, in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the Caribbean, our relationship with CARICOM is a historical one, is an excellent one. And every year we have the opportunity to gather once every two years at the highest level in a summit and once every two years at the ministerial level. So it's a very important mechanism that we have of political exchange with the Caribbean, the meetings Cuba, CARICOM. Also the association of Caribbean states. Also we have an excellent relationship, an excellent political dialogue, a change with the organization of Eastern Caribbean states. Last September I had the opportunity to receive in Havana Dr. Didacus Jules, the general director of the organization of Eastern Caribbean states, who accomplished a very important program in Cuba and he was received by the minister of foreign affairs in Havana. So the Caribbean is a very important priority for Cuba and our aim is to reinforce the excellent level of bilateral relationship with the Caribbean that we enjoy now. The level in which always is based and I repeat in friendship, solidarity and cooperation. Thank you Mr. Ambassador and Ambassador Mareng for giving us such a wide overview of San Nusha and Cuba cooperation. Well you've come to the end of our interview with the Cuban ambassador to San Nusha. His Excellency Alejandro Mareng, thank you very much once more. Thanks to you, thanks to you for this opportunity and again I would like to reaffirm our message of friendship, solidarity, in cooperation with the government and the San Nushan people. Thank you.