MIAMI, United States. – The chancellor of the Cuban regime, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, defended the economic viability of the Island’s system in an interview given to the magazine Newsweek last week and, as is customary in official Cuban speech, he blamed the sanctions imposed by the United States and the global economic situation for the crisis in the largest of the Antilles.
Rodríguez Parrilla was categorical in stating that “the Cuban economy is completely viable” because, as he said, it overcame similar challenges in the past, such as in the 1960s and 1980s.
The Cuban official also indicated that Washington’s sanctions have aggravated the situation in Cuba. “The coercive measures implemented by the republican government [de Donald Trump] “They were designed to produce these results,” he explained. He also expressed his surprise by pointing out that the Democratic government, led by Joe Bidenhas maintained these same policies.
The Cuban Foreign Minister also stressed that the people of the Island have resisted other difficult times and that the country has several “comparative advantages”, such as its highly qualified workforce, the abundance of natural resources and its vast experience in the medical field.
“We have some comparative advantages. We have a highly qualified workforce as a result of the high level of education acquired by the people. We have a powerful culture, a majority social consensus, a social and infrastructure work that is very tangible, which has been built for more than 60 years,” he said.
In addition, he assured that the Island has “the largest nickel reserves in the world, and something much more important, which is cobalt.”
Nevertheless, Cuban Diary recalled this Tuesday that the Cuban minister’s assertions contradict the available public information, which places Indonesia at the head of world reserves of metal and the Island as the fourth reserve. Regarding cobalt, he specified that the Cuban regime is currently settling a debt of more than 150 million dollars to the Canadian mining company Sherritt with deliveries of that metal.
On the other hand, the chancellor continued to emphasize the official speech of the authorities aimed at attracting the support of the global left: “Cuba is a small island, but at the same time it is a moral symbol and generates great international solidarity,” he said. .
The official also spoke about the need to “find a much more efficient economic model” that adapts to the current reality of the Island, including the expansion of private initiatives and the implementation of social reforms.
However, he made it clear that these measures are not “one day to the next” changes, but are the result of a prolonged and planned process. “It is a necessity for our economy, and they are part of the design of our model,” he explained.
The official highlighted that, despite the United States sanctions, the Island has managed to advance in its “development” thanks to the cultural, academic, scientific and economic relations it maintains with “all the countries of the world.”
Later, the regime’s chancellor also reproduced the speech of the need for change, which the island’s regime has sold to foreign media: “We want to change to develop the common well-being, strengthen our social policies, achieve a much more efficient economy. “That is reflected not only in the macroeconomic data, but also in the daily lives of people, for the good of the people and the prosperity of their families,” he stated.
