Sobers: T&T sending aid to Cuba but not backing embargo removal

2026-03-27 - 03:03

Lead Editor-Politics akash.samaroo@cnc3.co.tt Despite committing to provide humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people amid their ongoing crisis, Trinidad and Tobago remains firm in its position not to support calls to end the United States blockade, which has been cited as a contributing factor to the country’s hardships. On March 21 in Bogota, Trinidad and Tobago, along with several Latin American countries, distanced itself from a Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) declaration urging an end to the US embargo on Cuba. Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers told Guardian Media yesterday that the Prime Minister has been firm in her position on this matter. “The Prime Minister pronounced upon the foreign policy position, with respect to Cuba, in her speech to Caricom at the Heads of Government. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I stand 100 per cent, 200 per cent behind that.” He added, “We are, in fact, all the members of Caricom are, democratically elected leaders in our own right. And we can’t say that we support free and fair democratic elections and then support a system that is not of that or didn’t come from that.” Sobers said Trinidad and Tobago would be hypocritical if it supported calls to end the economic embargo on Cuba. “In terms of any embargo or blockade, I mean, that’s a bilateral situation between Cuba and the US. And so, that question should be pointed to those two individuals. But in terms of our foreign policy, that is a foreign policy. We can’t say that we are supportive of free, fair democratic elections and then turn around and support something that is not of that,” he said. Meanwhile, Sobers announced that Trinidad and Tobago will provide humanitarian aid to Cuba but will do so independently rather than as part of Caricom’s coordinated relief effort. He said that when this country was sending relief items to Jamaica in the aftermath of the destructive hurricane Melissa, it also formed a relationship with reputable non-governmental organisations in Cuba. Sobers said T&T will therefore deal directly with those NGOs. On Tuesday, Caricom issued a statement saying the regional bloc is coordinating relief items for Cuba, which is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis brought on by the United States-enforced blockade. The Caricom Secretariat is coordinating the procurement and shipment of essential supplies, including food, medical items and solar equipment, to Cuba on behalf of member states. Mexico is supporting the effort by sourcing the supplies and providing free transport from its ports to Cuba. Sobers told Guardian Media, “We’re not knocking Caricom for doing their own thing, their business. But we’re just saying that we have a system that has been tested already. Logistically, it has worked, and we will just continue with that.” He added that last week T&T reached out to those organisations to ascertain what relief items they will need. “And once we get back that request, we will then start to put things in place, like we did before.” Asked if there are concerns that any relief items for the Cuban people will be affected by the blockade, Sobers said, “They have an arrangement that allows them to accept items and distribute them accordingly. I suspect they have a good relationship with the US and that they are seen to be a bona fide organisation where whatever relief is sent to them would in fact be given to the Cuban people.” Sobers said this was not communicated to Caricom because the regional body did not ask for this country’s position on the matter. The US blockade on Cuba, first formalised by President John F Kennedy in 1962, has recently been intensified by a January 2026 executive order from President Trump targeting oil suppliers with steep tariffs. These measures have caused a total collapse of the island’s power grid, critical fuel shortages that have suspended over 96,000 surgeries, and severe disruptions to food and water distribution.