Cuban Ambassador Gonzales (2nd from right) With Recent Graduates
Photo By Erasmus Williams
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
September 09, 2009 (CUOPM)
This year’s graduates of Cuban universities have been urged to make a meaningful and worthwhile contribution to the development of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“You must display humanitarian and internationalism and help your country of St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Resident Cuban Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis Her Excellency Ana Maria Gonzalez at the 5th annual St. Kitts and Nevis Cuban Alumni Association.
Dr. Ron Carty of Saddlers, Electrical Engineer, Gaston Dixon of St. Paul’s and Accountant, Shara Maynard of Nevis received certificates from the St. Kitts and Nevis Cuban Alumni Association to mark their achievement. Absent was Dr. Sakkara Assegai.
Ambassador Gonzalez said she was honoured to be participating and thanked the Alumni Association for all the support given to her during her tenure of office here.
“Each time a graduation ceremony takes place, we are encouraged because we have worked very hard not only in St. Kitts and Nevis, but with the rest of the Caribbean. Cuba is not a rich nation with many natural resources but we have developed our own human resources and have extended it to its friends in the Caribbean and around the world. The way we have found to help and support the rest of the Caribbean nations, is to train their nationals in the varying professions,” said Ambassador Gonzalez.
“We hope that they not just become a professional, but to work for their homeland to serve humanity because that is the ideals of the Cuban cooperation. The third world countries need our support. Although we have been blockaded by the United States for 50 years ““ the longest blockade in the history of mankind, which has affected us economically – we still share what we have with our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean in line with our international policy which began since 1953, especially with the countries in Africa and in the Caribbean in the 1980’s,” said the top Cuban diplomat in the Federation.
“The only way we could support them was to take their children to Cuba and to educate them. Now many of them are ministers and top officials and leaders of their own countries in all spheres of life. It has helped in the development of all these nations,” said Ambassador Gonzalez.
Cuba has 31,000 students from the three continents with more than 3,000 from the Caribbean nationals.
Ambassador Gonzalez used the opportunity to congratulate the graduates and their families and hoped that the relationship between St. Kitts and Cuba will be strengthened.