(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community and Cuba meet in Bridgetown, Barbados, on 8 December for their second Summit meeting in three years.

This meeting is in consonance with the Havana Declaration which was signed at the first Summit in Havana in 2002, on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the four CARICOM countries which were independent at that time - Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago - and Cuba.

In the Declaration, the leaders decided to observe 8 December of each year as Cuba/CARICOM Day, and to hold on that day, every three years, a meeting of Heads of State and Government of Cuba and CARICOM countries, rotating the venue of the Summit meetings between them.

The theme of this year’s meeting is Strategies for Caribbean Human Development and the leaders are expected to sign cooperation agreements relating to health and culture.

Prior to the Summit, a Ministerial Meeting will be held on 7 December to finalise the agreements as well as the text of the Declaration of Bridgetown.

CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General Foreign and Community Relations, Ambassador Colin Granderson, speaking to Radio Caricom on the importance of the meeting, noted that relations between the Community and Cuba were strengthening, particularly in the fields of health and education.

He said this second summit would present and opportunity to further advance co-operation in those and other areas.