Cienfuegos.- The first Vice President of the Government State Council of the Republic of Cuba, Raul Castro, welcomed the countries attending the IV Petrocaribe Summit held in the port city of Cienfuegos. “Today we are holding a significant meeting for the nations that are part of the Caribbean basin”, he stated and insisted on the need to deepen and consolidate this initiative which is “the result of the solidarity spirit of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its President Hugo Chavez.

Similarly, he invited the audience to reflect on the privileged position of member countries of the Petrocaribe Energy Cooperation Agreement, considering current oil prices and the effects of the policies followed by great industrialized nations.

The consumer, wasteful and polluting model of developed nations has led -in a few years- to the depletion of many energy sources, indicated Castro when he affirmed that member countries of this agreement “enjoy a mechanism that allows them to have access in a privileged way and at fair prices to energy resources that guarantee the development and daily life of these peoples”.

In this sense, the initiatives to design and implement policies to save energy and use hydrocarbons rationally and efficiently are progressively becoming stronger. Castro affirmed that his country is currently developing projects in this regard, including the creation of alternative sources such as wind and solar energy, which are perfect for schools, households, hospitals and other facilities.