THOUSAND OSI Translation. Region: Spanish/Latin America/UN –
Source: Republic of Cuba
Official ceremony celebrated in Bridgetown for the 48th anniversary of the Barbados crimeBRIDGETOWN, Barbados – (October 6, 2024). This morning the official ceremony took place in Bridgetown for the 48th anniversary of the mid-flight explosion of Cubana de Aviación aircraft 455, which fell into the territorial waters of Barbados on October 6, 1976 and where 73 people were lost. life because of this terrorist act. The Monument erected to the victims was also the scene to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of the CARICOM-Cuba Anti-Terrorism Day, as a result of the agreement adopted by the CARICOM countries and Cuba at the Summit held in December 2022. Government figures attended, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Island, members of the Cuba Barbados Friendship Association and the Pan-Africanist Movement, representatives of Barbadian social institutions and youth organizations, Cuban residents and members of the Barbados state mission, to pay posthumous tribute to the victims of such a horrendous crime. The Honorable Sandra Husbands, Acting Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados, began the oratory at this solemn event, remembering the tragedy that occurred almost five decades ago, shortly after the nations that members of CARICOM had initiated diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cuba. Although this terrorist action was designed to create terror in the Caribbean community, it instead strengthened the commitment to establish lasting bilateral and regional relations with Cuba, our brother country. “During these almost 50 years, relations between Cuba and Barbados have witnessed of the good relations that we maintain, which have been consolidated because we defend honor and integrity in an international context full of hardships, obstacles and challenges and only united can we overcome the fear that terrorist acts like this instill, “said the dignitary. She mentioned the multiple examples of Cuba’s solidarity with Barbados, with the CARICOM countries and with the rest of the world and ratified the commitment to continue strengthening the fraternal relations between the CARICOM countries and the Republic of Cuba. Emotional and heartfelt were the words of the Ambassador of Cuba in Barbados, Yanet Stable Cárdenas when she expressed: “Tears came to our eyes every time we listened to the recording of the black box, the only survivor of the explosion and witness to the barbarism in mid-flight. «Stick to the water, Felo, stick to the water! “We put ourselves in the families’ shoes when they were confirmed that unfortunately the plane in which their loved ones were traveling had suffered a terrorist attack, and we felt their pain as our own. The imprint of terror marks us when we imagine the orphanhood that shadowed the days of those children whose father or mother were taken away by terror; when parents, after losing their only daughter in that criminal act, gave up living; when a young man lost his only sister, when a bride was left waiting; when a life that had just germinated in the womb of a woman never saw the light; when many families were left with open arms waiting eternally for the return of their loved ones.” “…the hatred, intolerance and fanaticism that fueled that act continue to run rampant. The children of Palestine and other Middle Eastern countries today suffer the prejudices of terror and darkness. “The threats to the Cuban Revolution and the acts of aggression under the blockade and the inclusion of Cuba on the list of alleged countries sponsoring terrorism remain in force, without valid arguments and without reasons that support such genocidal acts against a people that defends its independence, fights for its dreams of justice for Cuba and for the world.” “The Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples has called the Day for Peace, against the blockade and Terrorism, For a Free Palestine!; For a Cuba without blockade!; For a future of peace and sovereignty! The defense of peace is urgent.” “Today the Memorial erected to the martyrs of the Cubana de Aviación plane is a witness to the commemoration of the Second Anniversary of the “CARICOM-Cuba Day against Terrorism,” declared during the VIII CARICOM-Cuba Summit. , held in Barbados in December 2022. This represents the reason and the voice of condemnation of terrorism in any of its manifestations, to never forget the victims of these acts and maintain the commitment of Caribbean people to Peace. Cuban President, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, said in his speech before this Monument on December 6, 2022 and I quote: «Cuba does not forget either. We denounce, in all open forums, that the same hatred of those who guaranteed impunity to terrorists moves those who, in unacceptable offenses to the victims, continue to cause pain to Cuba, by inscribing their names on a spurious list of sponsors of terrorism. This site, this memorial, confirms that Cuba can only be on the list, if it existed, of the victims of terrorism” and paraphrasing the eternal Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, when he gave his historic speech on October 15, 1976, we would say today : When energetic and virile peoples cry, injustice trembles!” Mrs. Geneva Ross-Tyndall, Consul General (ag) of Guyana in Barbados, for her part, also gave a speech condemning terrorism, reflected on what fragile and fleeting that is life when in each of those 73 victims, including the eleven Guyanese, who were mostly young students, full of promise, who aspired to become doctors and engineers. In all of them, a dream, a hope, a future was broken. The youngest victim was only nine years old. This profound loss that occurred near Payne’s Bay brought the harsh reality of terrorism to the shores of Barbados. He said that “decisive measures are urgently needed to protect our region and guarantee that the Caribbean remains a sanctuary of peace. The far-reaching effects of terrorism are being felt in many nations and remind us of our common vulnerability, shared vulnerability.” He also expressed that “we live in a world plagued by divisions, but we must draw strength from our collective unity. Together we can foster a spirit of solidarity that drives us to take crucial action. We must challenge the forces of hatred and violence that seek to disrupt our harmony and cultivate environments of understanding and tolerance.” “Peace is the highest aspiration of human civilization, and world peace is based on respect and human dignity, on the rights of each individual to create a just, equitable and peaceful world. Through solidarity, vigilance and open dialogue, we can confront this global threat and work towards a safer future for all.” Ambassador Wayne McCook, Deputy Secretary-General, CARICOM Single Market and Trade, thanked the Government of Barbados, on behalf of the Caribbean Community, the possibility of “gathering once again in this serene place of remembrance, the Memorial erected to the 73 victims, to commemorate and reflect, while reaffirming the declaration to maintain our commitment to preserve the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.” The closing words of the solemn ceremony were pronounced by His Excellency. Mr. David Comissiong, Ambassador of Barbados to CARICOM, who said that “the event was horrific, it traumatized the nation of Barbados, and the people had to fulfill the sad duty of trying to recover the bodies of the territorial sea from the waters of the territorial sea. destroyed of the seventy-three victims. The painful and unforgettable tragedy forever united Cuba, Guyana, North Korea, Venezuela and Barbados. He expressed that “this solemn and sacred occasion is conducive to highlighting our mutual solidarity and sending a strong message on a global scale that we must strive to achieve a world in which mutual respect and peace prevail and the seeds of hatred, intolerance and terrorism are eliminated.”“This horrible Cuban tragedy turned out to be a catalyst that motivated our Caribbean Community to establish one of the fundamental pillars of our collective Foreign Policy: proclaiming that the Caribbean must be a Zone of Peace.” “CARICOM/Cuba Against Terrorism Day is, therefore, a day in which it is expected that the Republic of Cuba, the 15 full Member States of CARICOM and the 5 Associate Member States of CARICOM, participate in activities to highlight the importance of the fight against terrorism. In his speech he alluded to the multiple terrorist and genocidal acts that have been perpetrated against the peoples of the Middle East and exclaimed that once again, we raise our Caribbean voices and demand that the international institutions that have been established to intervene when excessive and illegal acts of national and international terrorism are perpetrated, act now to put an end to the barbarity “It merits the occasion to denounce the oldest case of terrorism in our own Caribbean region, State terrorism against the Republic of Cuba.” “The ridiculous inclusion of Cuba as a State sponsor of terrorism has only served to reinforce the effects of “illegal US blockade by increasing Cuba’s difficulties in participating in international trade, carrying out financial operations and acquiring basic products of first necessity for its people.” “It is this terrible and undeserved situation that led Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley to make the following statement about Cuba during her speech on September 27, 2024 before the United Nations General Assembly”:-.«And, Mr. President , you cannot come to this platform, unfortunately, (…) and not have to ask for a pardon for the people of Cuba. It is unacceptable, it is inconceivable. And that it continues today is a mark on our international conscience. The Cuban people continue to face the most dire economic circumstances, and this is a direct consequence of their exclusion and their designation as a State sponsor of terrorism. And I have stated that our only knowledge of terrorism and Cuba is, in fact, the downing of the Cubana plane off the waters of Barbados, where Cubans, Guyanese and Koreans died. My friends, Cuba has been a valuable partner, helping us when we needed it most, providing nurses and doctors in pandemics and other essential workers when the world community needed it, and also when towns in southern Africa had to be liberated! The reality is that we must continue to call resolutely for the embargo to be lifted, and we will condemn it year after year because, quite simply, it is wrong!’ Mr Comissiong concluded his emotional speech by demanding on behalf of the Government and people of Barbados and In fact, on behalf of the entire Caribbean Community, that the Government of the United States of America end its illegal blockade against Cuba and remove Cuba from the list of State sponsors of terrorism of the United States Department of State The event concluded when the speakers, all together, placed wreaths, not only to pay tribute to the victims of Cubana de Aviación Flight 455, but also to evoke the urgent need to join forces to put an end to terrorism together. Cubaminrex – EmbaCuba Barbados)
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.