Caribbean leaders call for ‘de-escalation and dialogue’ amid US oil embargo on Cuba

US interventions dominated speeches at a summit of 15 nations from the Caribbean and the Americas on Tuesday, as the region’s leaders met amid deadly military strikes against suspected drug boats and an oil blockade on Cuba.

During the opening ceremony of the four-day Caricom summit in St Kitts and Nevis, leaders of the regional bloc called for a strategic collaborations to deal with the impact of recent US policies.

The Jamaican prime minister and the outgoing Caricom chair, Andrew Holness, said that he supports “constructive dialogue between Cuba and the US aimed at de-escalation, reform and stability”.“We must address the situation in Cuba with clarity and courage,” Holness said. “Cuba is our Caribbean neighbour. Its doctors and teachers have served across our region,” he said.

He added that Cubans are facing “severe economic hardship, energy shortages and growing humanitarian strain”, which could have consequences across the wider region.

“It must be clear that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba,” Holness said. “It will affect migration, security and economic stability across the Caribbean basin.

On Monday, Cuba’s UN resident coordinator, Francisco Pichón, told AP that the US oil embargo is preventing aid from reaching those still struggling to recover from Hurricane Melissa, which struck eastern Cuba in late October as a category 3 storm.

He added that the energy blockade and fuel shortages “affect the entire logistics chain involved in being able to work in Cuba at this time, anywhere in the country”.

The incoming Caricom chair and prime minister of St Kitts of Nevis, Terrance Drew, also used his speech to appeal for humanitarian support for Cubans.

“I studied in Cuba. I lived in Cuba for seven years. I have friends there. I have people who are like family to me. They reach out to me and tell me of their difficulties. Food has become terribly scarce for some. Access to water has been challenging. Garbage fills the streets. Houses are without electricity,” he said, adding that Caricom should become a conduit for constructive dialogue on the issue.

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, was expected to meet with Caribbean leaders on Wednesday as part of the summit.

In the last year, the US has attempted to impose a series of tough policies on the region. Amid calls for the Caribbean to protect its zone of peace, the Trump administration has been pressuring nations in the regions to reject Cuban medical missions, chill relations with China and consider allowing US military hardware in their countries.

Rubio was scheduled to visit more than a month after the US attacked Venezuela and arrested its then leader, Nicolás Maduro, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tonnes of cocaine into the US.

The US has also killed at least 151 people in strikes that began in early September and target suspected “narco-terrorists” in small boats. Many of the victims are from the Caribbean.

The latest strike took place on Monday, killing three people in the Caribbean Sea.

The US has not provided evidence that the targeted boats are ferrying drugs, and families of those killed in the Caribbean have decried the attacks.

Associated Press contributed to this report