United Nations, Sep 28 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Saturday charged that over the past few months, the United States has implemented criminal and non-conventional measures to hinder fuel supplies to the Caribbean island from several markets. In those actions, Rodriguez noted, Washington has resorted to threats and persecution of the fuel-carrying companies, the governments of registration and flags, shipping enterprises and insurance firms.
As a result, we have faced serious difficulties to guarantee fuel supplies for the country’s daily activities, Rodriguez said at the high-level debate of the United Nations General Assembly.
According to the diplomat, this situation has forced Cuba to take temporary emergency measures that are ‘only possible in an organized country, with a united and friendly people, willing to defend themselves from foreign aggression and to preserve the social justice achieved.’
Rodriguez noted that over the past year, the Government of the United States has increased its hostile actions and blockade against Cuba qualitatively.
‘It has imposed additional obstacles to foreign trade and has increased the persecution of our banking-financial relations with the rest of the world. It has extremely limited travels and any interaction between the two peoples. It hinders ties and contacts of Cubans who live in the United States with their homeland,’ he pointed out.
The head of Cuban diplomacy stated that the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed nearly 60 years ago continues to be the main obstacle to the country’s development. He pointed out that the illegal Helms-Burton Act, whose Title III was activated by Washington this year, ‘guides the US aggressive conduct against Cuba’.
Rodriguez charged that the Donald Trump administration, as a pretext for its actions, blames Cuba for the failure of its plan to overthrow the Venezuelan Government by force, while it attacks the international medical cooperation programs that Cuba shares with dozens of developing countries.
He also warned that during that period, there have been the most blatant threats and blackmails, as well as immoral invitations for Cuba to betray its principles and international commitments in exchange for oil under preferential conditions and dubious friendships.
The economic aggression, however hard it is, the threats and blackmails will not extract a single concession from us, he assured.
The Foreign Minister pointed out that even under the current circumstances, Cuba will not renounce the will to develop a civilized relationship with the United States, based on mutual respect and recognition of the deep differences.
‘We know that this is our people’s wish, and the sentiment shared by most of the US people and Cubans who live in that country,’ Rodriguez stressed.
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