(EFE).- The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, assured this Friday that those who blame the government for handling the prolonged blackouts in recent weeks “are responding to what the counterrevolution wants.”
The president’s intervention came just after the appearance of the Minister of Energy and Mines, Livián Arronte – on whom the state electricity company depends – on the last day of sessions of the National Assembly of People’s Power.
Díaz-Canel acknowledged that there is discomfort among the population due to the cuts in supply, which have been intensifying in recent months. But he clarified: “Be sure that no one here puts out the blackouts to annoy anyone.”
“There are some people who, to express their discomfort and misunderstanding, go to the sound of pots… with that the situation we have is not resolved”
“There are some people who, in order to express their discomfort and misunderstanding – which is legitimate because they are experiencing a situation of affectation – go to the sound of pots, shout expressions against the leaders, some take advantage of the occasion to say some slogan against the revolution, others participate in acts of vandalism and throw stones, break windows and with that the situation we have is not resolved,” he concluded.
Power cuts were, along with other serious economic problems, some of the factors that fueled last year’s anti-government protests in Cuba, when the largest demonstrations in decades took place.
In recent weeks, some mobilizations against blackouts have been repeated, such as in the city of Camagüey and the town of The palacesamong other.
The president added that some of the protesters “by conviction or not, are responding to what the counterrevolution wants” and “what those who have us blocked want, that those are the ones who first caused this whole situation,” referring to to US sanctions.
“(They) are acting in accordance with the enemy’s plan, not with our plan, our plan has to be one of understanding, solidarity and, as always, resistance,” he said.
“They are acting in accordance with the enemy’s plan, our plan has to be one of understanding, solidarity and, as always, resistance”
In that same sense, Díaz-Canel reiterated this Friday that the United States government maintains the objective of subverting the social and political order of his country, but at the same time he pointed out that he does not rule out the possibility of a better understanding with his North American neighbor.
Closing the plenary meeting of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Díaz-Canel accused the US administration of applying unconventional war formulas against Cuba that have already been tried and applied in other parts of the world.
According to the Cuban leader, “this aggressiveness is further reinforced by the subversion programs that do not stop trying to politically destabilize the country.”
In this sense, he affirmed that the United States “tried again to force a popular uprising in Cuba during this month of July” and failed in the same month of 2021, as he pointed out in reference to the massive anti-government protests of July 11 last year.
He also denounced that for this, the US government deployed “intense campaigns” on social networks and applied “strong economic pressure” in order to depress the standard of living of the Cuban population, generating problems in essential services such as electricity, and in the level of consumption and access to basic items, among others.
“What they are after is to destroy the revolutionary process and what it means,” he said.
“We are convinced that we have mutual interests in the exchange between the two nations, despite the great differences,” he stressed, referring to the United States.
The president stated that despite Washington’s aggressive policy, “we do not rule out the eventual possibility of a better understanding with the United States government towards a relationship of respect.”
“We are convinced that we have mutual interests in the exchange between the two nations, despite the great differences,” he stressed.
He also said that Cuba is willing to “advance in that direction and to dialogue on any issue,” but “without undermining our sovereignty.”
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