Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez has reproached US President Joe Biden for not having his own policy towards Cuba and for maintaining the “maximum pressure” of his predecessor, Donald Trump.
“President Biden does not have a policy towards Cuba. He does not have a policy of his own. He shared elements of the policy of the previous Democratic government. If you read the Democratic electoral platform, it contains another policy towards Cuba,” Rodríguez said in a video posted on social networks.
Rodríguez has also recalled the electoral promises “in his own voice” of now President Biden. “He promised the American voters and also the Cuban residents in Florida, but unfortunately the policy that President Biden applies is President Trump’s maximum pressure policy,” he pointed out.
“It is a policy that not only causes harm and suffering to the Cuban people, that impedes the development of our economy, that encourages irregular emigration to the United States, but it is also a policy that harms the national interest of the United States,” he stressed. .
Secretary of State Anthony Blinke has argued that these actions are “in support of the Cuban people and in the interests of United States foreign policy.”
During the electoral campaign, both Biden and Kamala Harris, current vice president, announced that they would reverse some of the measures taken by their predecessor in office with respect to Cuba, including limits on remittances, flights and consular services. Those announcements encouraged Havana, which thought that a second thaw could take place, similar to what happened in Barack Obama’s term, in which Biden was vice president.
However, the White House has strictly complied with its commitment and, in the middle of last May, announced the reestablishment of commercial flights to Cuba, which until now only reached Havana, the resumption of the family reunification program and the suspension of the $1,000 per quarter limit on remittances.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinke has argued that these actions are “in support of the Cuban people and in the interests of United States foreign policy.”
However, the Administration has maintained the bulk of its policy towards the Island, spurred on by the repression following the 11J protests, according to senior US officials. The clearest manifestation of this position was the refusal to invite Cuba to the recent Summit of the Americas held in Los Angeles.
Last Thursday, Washington announced that it has taken steps to impose restrictions on the visas of five unidentified Cuban officials for their links to the trials and imprisonment of 9/11 protesters.
These sanctions, according to the statement, are linked to “unfair trials” and the sentences and imprisonment of protesters. According to the US government, Cuban authorities “deny citizens of their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14ymedio is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for joining us on this long road. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time becoming a member of our journal. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
