Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has again dismissed any suggestions that the country is involved in any form of human trafficking regarding its use of members of the Cuban Medical Brigade as is being claimed by US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
Following meetings with Caribbean leaders this week, Secretary Rubio reiterated the claim stating that the Cuban government sends out these medical teams as part ‘forced labour’ and the US government has threatened actions against the leaders of countries which utilize the medical personnel in their health services.
“I have made it abundantly clear, certainly in the case of Antigua and Barbuda, as I have said to them if there are any issues regarding the way the payments are structured, we are willing to adjust accordingly. However, we completely reject this issue of trafficking of Cuban doctors and nurses,” he declared.
PM Browne is on record stating that the government will pay one hundred percent of the wages due to the Cuban doctors and nurses, including having them meet their statutory obligations.
In related development, the Antigua and Barbuda leader voices concerns over the decision by the US Administration to impose a 25 percent tariff on countries which purchase petroleum products from Venezuela.
“The reality is that the Venezuelan PetroCaribe has been a lifeline for many Caribbean countries, especially during the global crisis when they provided petroleum products on credit. For Antigua and Barbuda, we remain very grateful for what Venezuela has done for us; they have given us about half a billion dollars in credit. Interestingly, my administration has not benefited from the Venezuelan petroleum trade. In fact, I don’t think we have had a single shipment within the last 10 years,” he emphasized.
He noted that all the arrangements with Venezuela regarding petroleum products were negotiated by the previous administration.
The Trump Administration has ramped up its belligerence against both Cuba and Venezuela with countries such as Antigua and Barbuda and others in the region caught in the middle as unintended collateral damage.
