Cuban ambassador describes Dominica as “a friend”

Lowe and Ramos addressing the press conference on Monday
Lowe and Ramos addressing the press conference on Monday

Cuban Ambassador to Dominica, Juana Elena Ramos has described the relationship between Cuba and Dominica as one of “close friendship”.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday afternoon, Ramos said both countries share a long history of solidarity and friendship.

“I think that we are friends,” she said. “Cuba and Dominica have a long history of solidarity and friendship between our governments and our people and I think that at this moment we are very close and really we appreciate the solidarity of Dominica with Cuba in the case of the Cuban 5, also in our fight against the blockages.”

The Cuban 5, also known as The Miami 5, are five Cuban intelligence officers convicted in Miami of conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, acting as an agent of a foreign government, and other illegal activities in the United States. They were arrested in 1998.

Two have been released so far.

Dominica is standing in solidarity with Cuba on the matter and has been calling on the US to release the remaining three.

At the press conference, plans were also announced to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Cuba Scholarship Program.

Some of activities include a reunion, the launch of a magazine, a health fair, a reading fair and books distribution in Dubique, among others.

Meantime, beneficiary of the Cuba Scholarship Program and President of the Dominica Cuba Friendship Association (DCFA), Frankie Lowe, said he was grateful for the opportunity given to him by the program to further his education.

“If it wasn’t for Cuba, I don’t know how things would have been,” he stated, “It also gave us a lot of poor people the opportunities to earn careers. Back in those days it would have been Mr. So and So who would have been able to go and study.”

He said presently he is an electrical engineer because of his success in the program.

“So on behalf of Dominicans I want to express our gratitude to the people and government of Cuba and also Dominica for the initiative,” he said.

To date 332 Dominicans have graduated from the scholarship program over the past 35 years.

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12 Comments

  1. Pittsburgh Dominican
    September 18, 2014

    Thank you for your contribution in helping our country and people develop.

  2. history
    September 16, 2014

    Whilst communism is a failure the Cuban Government have given more to dominca than the USA there are 100,s of professioanls in the Caribben — Doctors etc who were trained in Cuba so does the benfit to 1000.s in the CARIBBEAN for the eye care program ..St lucia has permanent clinic where 100.s receive free eye care even now
    Students from all over the world from poor parents receive a chance at being doctors engineers architects etc
    Good that Domica accpetd the scholarshp program under the govt of OJ as THE FREEDOM PART Y WHICH REMAINED FOR 15 yeras did not accept
    It was the UWP in Govt which came back into the govt Cuban scholarship program in 1995
    Meanwwhilre throughout the 80,s it was the Labour party through Rosie -Mike and the others Pierre Charles etc who lept hope alive fro the poor and downtrodden to higher education

  3. history
    September 16, 2014

    Seem interesting that we need to be consistent with history and giving credit where it is due .
    Recall the Prime Minister having interaction as per news of that day with Fidel Castro at the UN 1979 ..Also the visit of Grenada PM Maurice Bishop who cultivated the Cuban connection for the OJ Govt through ambassador Rousseau.
    Also i remember the early entry of Dominca at the non aligned conference in CUBA which was attended by Bernard Wiltshire as PM,S emissary .
    All of this gave smooth passage to the cuban scholarship program
    Seem we need to give more emphasis on addressing our history accurately and not attemot to triviliaize those who served and attempt by our efforts to discard them in the dustbins of history for our conscious political prejudice .

  4. Anonymous
    September 16, 2014

    In those dark days and darker nights when the Dominican Left stood alone the Cuban Govt mobilized substantial resources the advaned higher education of Dominica’s “Wretched of the Earth”!Congratulations and best wishes!!

  5. educated
    September 16, 2014

    To ,my knowledge O.J SERAPHIN was the PM who initiated the cuban scholarsship program
    Why is there silence on this ?

  6. Dominica
    September 16, 2014

    Thank you Cuba for your kindness.
    We love you Cuba!

  7. grown up
    September 16, 2014

    Under which government was the Cuban scholarship program atarted ?
    Was it Freedom ?or UWP?

  8. fair
    September 16, 2014

    Just noted that comment ..yes indeed ,,zero comment up to now in a very important human development Government program …where are we as a prople when we fail to recognise and deny giving credence to our leaders when they contribute to our scociety

  9. consistent
    September 16, 2014

    Interesting that the president of the cuban dominica freindship society failed to mention OJ seraphin as the prime Minister who initiated the Cuban Scholarship program
    I read the magazine of the organization years ago where at least this man was given his honour

  10. overseas dominican
    September 16, 2014

    DNO what is there to moderate ?the truth cannot and should not be moderated.Please do not restrict free expression !
    was O.J not the PM who introduced the Cuban Scholarship program in 1979?
    Has he ever been offically recognised ?
    Is this not the historic time to do so ?
    Is he being invited to the events of the anniversary ?
    If not why not ?

  11. overseas dominican
    September 16, 2014

    35th anniverary of the Cuban Scholarship program which began by Prime Minister OJ Seraphin? .We trust this government will invite him to the offical function .
    The Cuban Dominica friendship society did give him respect and recognition under the auspices of now ambassador DOCTOR DUBLIN in their anniversay magazine some years ago.
    I trust the naysayers and history distortionists will not now resurrect construct or imagine someone else to give this accolade !
    Why do we sideline and maginalize our leaders who contributed to our national development landscape …
    This man who saw us through the crises of a political revolution as well as 3 months later commander in chief over the worst Hurricane i living memo DAVID – have never been honoured even by a party of which he was president- treasuer- leader whilst those who fought and brought down the Labour party are even now at the highest office in the land !
    There are persons with much less credentials and contributuion who have been honoured by our state leaders .Why not O,J?
    Now is the time for the Cuban students who have benfited from his initiative to give thanks and a Labour goverenment to recognise .
    Please do not ever forget thet the party of president Savarin refused to accept the Cuban scholarships and it was the Labour party which continued to do so in the years following …..
    Indeed the graduates from Cuba were refused employment under the Eugenai Charles -Charles Savarin regime when in Government !
    Thank you OJ for initiating the program which has so many underprivi;eged persons becoming partcularly from the rural areas to become true professionals engineers architest doctors etc which now contribute to this scoiety
    We trust at last you will be recognised during the 35 th anniversary by those concerned and this nation

  12. Morihei Ueshiba
    September 16, 2014

    Communism is a failure

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