Above: the Bahamas (CJ Photo)

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

The Bahamas says it is welcoming the announcement made this week that Cuba and the United States will re-engage with full diplomatic ties by July 20.

“It is good for the hemisphere. We congratulate the two countries and their leaders for making the steps toward this rapprochement,” said Fred Mitchell, the Bahamas’ Minister of Foreign Affairs. “We look forward to our continued good relations with both states in the months and years to come.”

The Bahamas signed a repatriation agreement with Cuba in 1996, and the two countries have had open diplomatic and commercial relations ever since.

The Bahamas has also retained close ties with the United States, engaging in trade, cooperative government initiatives, scientific research and more.

Prime Minister Perry Christie took part in a February Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit in Nassau which called for a re-opening of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba.

At that summit, Christie, who currently serves as CARICOM chairman, also spoke of the potential economic consequences should such a diplomatic change occur, and recommended the community begin to research and prepare for the shift.