By Ken Richards West Indies News Network From Caribbean News Now

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (WINN) — Cuba’s St Kitts and Nevis based ambassador, Hugo Ruiz Cabrera, has downplayed the likelihood of Russia re-establishing a military base in Cuba.

The defence minister in Moscow, Nikolai Pankov, has been quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that Moscow is considering that option.

However, Cabrera told WINN FM that, while he has seen the media reports about the matter, he is not sure that they are accurate.

“I have read the article that referred to that matter but I don’t believe it is true, it is far from the truth. Despite that we have a very good relationship with Russia historically and with our bilateral ties but nowadays it is very hard to talk about military ways,” he noted

As WINN FM recently reported, former prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Lester Bird, has warned that a Russian presence in the Caribbean would be dangerous for the whole hemisphere.

“America cannot allow Russia to go into Cuba, so we’re back to 1962 all over again, where John Kennedy had to flex his muscle. The question is what is CARICOM gonna do about it? In the days of the confrontation of communism and the west there was a vacuum that existed that allowed them to do that but I am saying to you that I don’t think that the United States is going to sit by and allow Cuba and Russia to establish a situation which is in confrontation with the United States,” Bird said.

Cabrera says he is not aware of such discussions taking place between Havana and Moscow.

“As far as I know we have not discussed anything like that so I don’t believe that something like that will be come true at least in the short term,” he said.

WINN FM asked if Cuba would be open to Russia asking for a base there.

“It’s a very hard question and I am no expert in the Cuba and Russia relationship. I can talk about the Caribbean’s relationship with Cuba which I feel extremely happy about,” Cabrera said.

IMAGE: putin_castro.jpg Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro

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