In a scenario of growing threat from the United States against Cuba, the head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio, travels today to Saint Kitts and Nevis for the meeting of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

Rubio will hold meetings «with Caribbean leaders to advance shared priorities, such as strengthening regional security, deepening cooperation to combat illegal immigration and illicit trafficking, and promoting economic growth, health and energy security throughout the Caribbean,» according to a State Department statement.

But some observers consider that the Secretary of State, who carries the America First agenda, will pressure the countries of the integrationist bloc against Cuba, a country with which Caricom has historic ties.

The Caribbean Community is an international organisation for strengthening relations in that part of the world. It was founded in 1973 and comprises 15 nations, mainly from the Anglophone Caribbean.

Precisely at the meeting, which concludes on Friday, Caricom leaders advocated for «taking collective action» to support Cuba, amidst the current tightening of the United States blockade, which has encircled oil supplies to the island. «We must address the situation in Cuba with clarity and courage. Cuba is our Caribbean neighbour. Its doctors and teachers have served throughout our region,» emphasised Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, during his speech at the opening of the conference.

We must – stressed the group’s president pro tempore for 2025 – «be clear that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will affect migration, security and economic stability throughout the Caribbean region.»