HAVANA, Cuba, Apr 26 (ACN) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel conferred the José Martí Order to Roosevelt Skerrit, prime minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, during a ceremony held at the Palace of the Revolution in this city.
Josefina Vidal, Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, stressed that Skerrit deserved the highest distinction granted by the Cuban State for his invaluable contribution to the strengthening of political and cooperation ties between both countries, marked by a deep humane content and solidarity.
She highlighted Skerrit’s support to the cause of the Cuban people in favor of lifting the unjust and criminal U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade, and his respect and admiration for Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, whom he described as a great friend and excellent teacher.
Vidal pointed out that in 18 years as head of government the Dominican Prime Minister has achieved remarkable results and been a tireless defender of the peoples, as evidenced by the fact that Dominica was the first English-speaking country to join the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Treaty as well as by his efforts to strengthen ties with Cuba, his courage in the defense of just causes and his outstanding role in international organizations to develop Caribbean and Latin American integration.
Skerrit thanked Cuba’s gesture and said he was honored to receive such a high decoration from a country that stands as an example and follows the ideas and principles of José Martí, Commander Ernesto Che Guevara and Fidel Castro.
He also praised Cuba’s dignity and the way it concentrates its efforts on the human being for being a country where peace, dignity, prosperity, freedom, self-determination, justice and generosity are not abstract concepts, and recalled that it was Cuba that said that Latin America and the Caribbean must be a zone of peace.
Prior to the awarding ceremony, Skerrit was received at the Palace of the Revolution with military honors by President Díaz-Canel, with whom he held official talks and paid tribute to Cuban National Hero José Martí at the Revolution Square.