MIAMI, United States. – The Cuban regime reacted to the measures announced by the Biden administration on the afternoon of this Monday, shortly after his announcement. In an official statementthe Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) assured that it was “a limited step in the right direction.”
“Today, the United States government announced various measurespositive but very limited in scope, with respect to Cuba in terms of visas, regular migration, flights to provinces, remittances and adjustments to regulations for transactions with the non-state sector”, begins the official MINREX statement.
“By their nature, it is possible to identify some of President Biden’s promises during the 2020 election campaign to alleviate inhumane decisions made by the Trump administration, which tightened the blockade to unprecedented levels and the ‘maximum pressure’ policy since then applied against our country”, also reads the official text.
Indeed, with this Monday’s announcement, Biden reverses several measures adopted by former President Trump.
Even so, the Cuban regime complains that “the announcements do not modify the blockade at all, nor the main measures of economic siege taken by Trump, such as the lists of entities that are subject to additional coercive measures, nor does it eliminate the prohibitions on the travel of Americans.
“It does not reverse the arbitrary and fraudulent inclusion of Cuba on the State Department’s list of countries that are allegedly sponsors of terrorism, one of the main causes of the difficulties that Cuba encounters for its commercial and financial transactions in many parts of the world. ”, also laments Havana.
According to the regime, the announcement is “a response to the denunciation of the Cuban people and Government. It also responds to the calls of American society and Cubans residing in that country.”
This Monday, the US government announced that it would restore flights to several airports in Cuba, as well as the family reunification program suspended for years. In addition, it will also allow group trips for educational or professional exchanges and will lift the limits on remittances sent to the Island, which were subject to a maximum of 1,000 USD per quarter.
The US government will also once again allow group travel under the “person-to-person” educational travel category, which was created by former President Barack Obama to allow Americans to travel to the island.
On the other hand, the Biden administration will “explore” options to facilitate electronic payments and expand the access of Cuban entrepreneurs to microfinance.
In fact, last week the US Government. ordered the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC, for its acronym in English) to issue the first license that authorizes a US entity to invest capital in a private company registered and located in Cuba.
Shortly after the announcement, Cuban-American congresswoman María Elvira Salazar assured on Twitter that the Biden administration was making “a historic mistake by going back to Obama’s failed Cuba policy.”
“Secretary Blinken promised me – and it was recorded – that they would apply the Helms-Burton Act and consult the Cuban community in exile before normalizing relations with the regime. Biden has officially failed on both promises,” Salazar said.
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