MIAMI, United States. –The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaumrevealed this Wednesday in his usual morning press conference that his government is evaluating the possibility of sending fuel to Cuba, in response to the serious energy crisis facing the Island.
“We are seeing, Cuba was helped at one point and we are seeing if fuel aid is also necessary, as humanitarian aid and it is help to the Cuban people,” declared Sheinbaum.
The president also clarified that, so far, Mexico’s help has consisted mainly of “technical support” from the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE). “We are always going to support, so CFE is in contact through the Foreign Ministry with what the Cuban people require, to be able to support them, it is essentially technical help,” added the Mexican president.
In 2023, Mexico will send at least $200 million in oil to Cuba, according to calculations by the University of Texas Energy Institute. cited by the EFE news agency. However, at the time Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) denied that it was a donation, and now Sheinbaum emphasizes that the current assistance has been of a technical nature.
The president also reiterated Mexico’s historic position against the United States embargo on the Havana regime. “We are against the blockade of Cuba, it is the sovereignty of the people, that is what our foreign policy says, it is the Cuban people who must decide how to organize themselves and their form of government, there does not have to be intervention and, furthermore “The blockade affects the people,” Sheinbaum said.
Last Monday it emerged that the Mexican Government is helping the island’s regime given its “energy emergency” situation. The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs advertisement that its embassy in Havana had “timely expressed its willingness to the Cuban people to provide support, in the face of the difficult situation they face.”
The situation in Cuba, which was already critical, worsened last Friday, October 18, due to the total disconnection of the National Electroenergy System (SEN) and a consequent national blackout that caused the massive closure of schools, the collapse of hospitals and has forced many citizens to cook in the streets. Besides, At least 28 protests have been registered in seven provinces of the country.
Last Monday, the Mexican Foreign Ministry reported that its head, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, was “in permanent contact with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla” and that the Mexican embassy in Cuba was doing “the same with the competent authorities to count with updated information on the situation.”
For his part, Rodríguez Parrilla thanked the help offered by Mexico and other countries through their social networks: “We appreciate the efforts and immediate support offered by the governments of Venezuela, Mexico, Colombia, Russia and Barbados to address the current situation of the national electroenergy system. “Cuba is in talks to finalize receipt of this aid.”
Although the Cuban regime continues to blame the United States embargo as triggering the national blackout, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero recognized that “the state of the infrastructure, the lack of fuel and the increase in demand” are determining factors in the current situation.
