Caribbean governments nearly a year ago promised to send an aid package to finance-starved Cuba but complained that international sanctions and other hurdles had prevented the region from making good on its pledge. Now, says Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, those hurdles have finally been cleared, and the region is in a better position to assist Cuba. Cuba and the 15-nation CARICOM grouping have enjoyed strong diplomatic relations since 1972, and those ties have evolved over the decades to include two-way trade and Cuban exports of thousands of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to support struggling health sectors in the bloc. The announcement about an imminent aid package for Cuba came the same week that the region sent 88 containers of food, 300 large plastic water tanks and other items to earthquake-hit Venezuela, where more than 3,000 people have died and many thousands more are missing. Neighboring Trinidad has also said it is preparing to send a shipment to Venezuela. Mottley said that in one case, the region had tried to send cash to procure baby formula and other essentials, but economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. had stymied the effort because the financial system rejected the transactions. “The money that was sent back because of the sanctions, it is almost impossible to be able to deliver it, and we’ve had to go through circuitous routes with respect to dealing with countries who are willing to ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered to Cuba. Nobody is going to release the milk without payment, and because we are shipping it to Cuba, therefore the process goes through enhanced due diligence,” she told reporters as this week’s regional leaders summit ended in St. Lucia. “There is a humanitarian crisis, and you cannot continue to ignore that reality. Humanitarian relief comes above everything else, because none of us can give back life to anybody.” It is not clear when the cash or material package would arrive, but the region had recently indicated that the money was intended for baby formula, non-perishable goods, beans, wheat flour, rice, canned food and hardware materials such as solar power units, batteries and water tanks. Officials said Mexican authorities would assist with the collaborative effort. “When you live in a neighborhood, what happens in the neighborhood affects everyone, and the neighborhood stretches from Florida to Guyana and Suriname in the south,” Mottley stated. "We recognize that this is always going to be a complicated and complex issue, as was reflected in the United Nations debate on Tuesday, but we want to remain focused on the humanitarian efforts and we want to remain focused on the dialogue that should continue to take place.”