It made international headlines today when Fidel Castro announced that after almost 50 years as the Commander in Chief, he was stepping down. So Castro is no longer head of state, but it’s expected to be a smooth transition – one that started a year and a half ago when he first fell ill. Now his brother Raul formally assumes his job as head of state while the 81-year-old Castro promises to remain active and involved in what he calls the battle of ideas. So it’s not a farewell, but it is a departure for the most iconic leader in this hemisphere.

It’s news to Belize because this country has many ongoing cooperation programs with Cuba that started in early 1999 when Prime Minister Said Musa led a super delegation to that country and conferred Castro with the Order of Belize – the highest national honor that can be given to a non Belizean. So it’s a transition for the entire region and today we caught up with Cuba’s Ambassador to Belize, Eugenio Martinez who told us that he is somewhat sad, but completely confident that the revolution will hold firm.

Eugenio Martinez, Cuban Ambassador
“I have these mixed feelings both as an official of Cuba of sadness from one side because he is my President, he is my leader. But at the same time, I am safe and certain that there are not going to be problems in Cuba because he is no longer the President. I mean the big change in Cuba was led and is led by Fidel, the Cuban Revolution, the big reform and the Cuban people support the Cuban institutions and Cuban model. He is our leader, our dear Fidel, our Commander in Chief but it is more than one man.”

Jules Vasquez,
Will there be any changes in the ongoing assistance between Cuba and Belize?

Eugenio Martinez,
“Jules I don’t see any reason for that. He was a leader of the programs of cooperation with the world, particularly in health and education as you mentioned, and those are main programs we have in Belize. But Belize and Cuba are friendly neighbor countries. I don’t see the reason why we would have to change that. As a matter of fact we announced a couple of days ago that we are offering 20 new scholarships for Belizeans and they will be in Cuba by March. So I feel confident that we will keep the normal relations with Belize.”

Jules Vasquez,
Do you think that America will try now to advance its imperialists ambitions on the island of Cuba, even though the communist government led by Fidel Castro or led by Raul Castro will remain in place, that the US will step up pressures to bring down the government now that Fidel Castro is no longer even symbolically at the forefront of it?

Eugenio Martinez,
“I would definitely foresee that they will either keep the current pressure or increase it but the Cuban people are ready and not afraid. I think we are really really in command of the situation in Cuba, he has been out of power for the last year and a half and nothing has happened in Cuba.”

Those images were from PM Musa’s 1999 trip to Havana which included a stellar cast of glitterati including Sir Barry and Sir Michael.