Cuba Participates in the 4th Annual Meeting of the COPOLAD Program

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, April 29, 2026.- Cuba participated in the 4th Annual Meeting of the COPOLAD Program (Cooperation Program between Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union on Drug Policy), which took place on April 28 and 29. The Cuban delegation was headed by Pilar Varona Estrada, Vice Minister of Justice of the Republic of Cuba, accompanied by Bryan Gual, First Secretary of the Embassy of Cuba in Belgium and Mission to the European Union.

During the meeting, Vice Minister Pilar Varona participated in the panel dedicated to cooperation on drugs in the Caribbean region, where she reaffirmed Cuba's zero-tolerance policy on drugs. She also emphasized the need to continue integrating the work of the different Caribbean countries on drug policy in order to contribute to the security and prosperity of the region. “The Caribbean can always count on Cuba,” Varona Estrada stated, while reaffirming Cuba’s willingness to share its accumulated experience in prevention, as well as the most relevant findings of Cuba’s National Drug Observatory.

The occasion also provided an opportunity for the Cuban delegation to hold several bilateral meetings, including one with Borja Díaz, director of the COPOLAD Program. The 4th Annual Meeting of the COPOLAD Program precedes the 26th High-Level Meeting of the EU-CELAC Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism on Drugs.

(Cubaminrex-Embacuba Belgium)