The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis is concerned about Cuba’s absence from the 2022 Summit of the Americas, saying sanctions on the island nation have sparked desperation among residents posing an “existential threat” to the national security of The Bahamas.

The situation, Mr Davis said, has left the country to grapple with irregular migrants from Cuba.

Mr Davis and a delegation are attending the Summit this week in Los Angeles. “We have to appreciate that Cuba is at our doorstep,” Mr Davis said yesterday. “We have to appreciate that as long as these embargoes and blockades and sanctions exist against Cuba, what it does is it hurts the population and it increases the misery of those people. Hence, the desperation to leave and so we then are faced with the irregular migrants coming from Cuba into The Bahamas, which is an existential threat to our national security.

 “Why, because there is a very huge power lobby in South Florida in respect to the regime in Cuba and as we move to live up to our international obligations of repatriation those in South Florida do not accept that we have that obligation and as you recall our consulate was stormed several years ago and so it’s a threat to our Bahamians who have travelled to South Florida and we do that in droves every year.

 “So, I don’t want our citizens to be exposed to tensions between the Cuban block in South Miami and our obligation to repatriate Cubans who might find themselves in our waters and in our country and our obligation to repatriate and so that is the threat that we need to address and address on an urgent basis.”

 Mr Davis also said his focus while at the Summit will be climate change and The Bahamas’ “green” future.

 “For us and for me my emphasis in this regard will relate more to our green future because as you are aware climate change is real.

 “We are one of the most vulnerable countries in the world and we’re still not seeing action matching words that find themselves on these various documents and declarations and for that matter we have made an intervention that is causing some concern here that we need to have easier and equitable access to climate funding. We have made a submission and intervention in that regard.

 “It has not yet gotten full acceptance by some of the states that are here and we intend to if at the end of the day it’s not accepted to put a footnote to what we believe should be the position in respect to access to climate funding.

 “Health and recovery and resilience: the Minister of Health (and Wellness Dr Michael Darville) is here and he’s engaging with his counterparts to discuss those issues and again at the end of the day climate change is the subtext to those issues.

 “Talking about the strong and inclusive democracies, I may make an intervention in that regard as well because if we are not inclusive, if we are not talking and dialoguing, we will have tensions and you will have this coalition of aggrieved nations that will not augur well for a cohesive hemisphere.”