Saint George, March 19 (Prensa Latina) Grenada’s Finance Minister, Dennis Cornwall, said today that he and other ministers would renounce their U.S. visas to support Cuba’s international medical missions.
Speaking to the Grenada Broadcasting Network, Cornwall acknowledged that as a graduate of a Cuban university, he has a moral obligation to that country and insisted that the Cuban medical personnel in Grenada are providing an “irreplaceable service.”
“I have always believed that we must put people above political identity, and my government has demonstrated that we are willing to go to extremes to keep our people safe,” he emphasized, referring to the role of Cuban medicine in Grenada’s current health standards.
Cornwall insisted that if it means giving up his right to obtain a U.S. visa to ensure Grenada supports Cuba, “so be it,” arguing that renouncing the Cuban medical mission would significantly harm his country’s healthcare system.
In addition to Cornwall, who is a member of his country’s parliament, last week Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Andall, also a Cuban graduate, said that Grenada not only has a legal obligation, but also a moral and ethical one, to the Cuban people, and reiterated that the Eastern Caribbean nation is sovereign and independent in its decision-making.
An announcement from the U.S. State Department last week announced a visa restriction policy for officials from countries that supported or continue to support the work of Cuban medical brigades, amid accusations of alleged slave labor trafficking, which has already been rejected by Caribbean leaders and politicians.
arc/ohh
