MIAMI, United States.- Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossio described this Friday as interventionist and illegal the financing of the United States for “democracy promotion” programs, aimed at overthrowing the government just when the island is facing its worst economic crisis. in decades, reported the news agency Reuters.
Fernandez de Cossio said the programs, which over several decades have spent more than $200 million on Cuba-related projects, take advantage of foreign funding to foment unrest in the country.
According to the regime’s spokesman, “in any nation, this is illegal,” noting that the United States has legislation against people who act as agents of foreign governments. “That is precisely what the United States is trying to promote in Cuba today,” he added.
The Joe Biden Administration announced last July a call for applications to grant up to 6.25 million dollars to non-governmental organizations and individuals as part of a decades-long program authorized by US law to “promote peaceful, nonviolent democratic change in Cuba.”
The call for applications from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) warned of the challenges and risks of working in Cuba, saying that recipients “will not act as agents or act at the direction of USAID,” Reuters explained.
Fernandez de Cossio’s accusations, which are not new as the Havana government regularly blames Washington for its problems, come as the island suffers its worst economic crisis in decades, with widespread blackouts and hours-long queues for basic supplies. such as food, fuel and medicine.
Cuba has blamed the Cold War-era US embargo and funding of dissidents for its economic and social problems for decades, but Fernández de Cossio says the latest US funding for pro-democracy groups was designed specifically to topple the communist government.
“They (the United States) are depressing the standard of living of the population and at the same time investing millions of dollars from US taxpayers to urge people to act against the Cuban government,” said the communist official.
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