(EFE). -The United States responded to Cuba on Monday that it has not yet sent invitations to the Summit of the Americas, to be held in June in Los Angeles (California), in the face of accusations from Havana. that you have excluded her from the preparations for this meeting.
Contacted by Efe, spokesmen for the White House National Security Council and the State Department said that “for the time being no invitation has been issued” for the summit, without offering further details.
At a press conference, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused the US on Monday of excluding Cuba from the preparations for the meeting and “respectfully” urged Washington to clarify whether his country will be invited. Likewise, he affirmed that the United States is exerting “extreme” pressure on “numerous governments in the region” that oppose the exclusion of Havana.
The source, who requested anonymity, did not want to confirm if this means that the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, whom Washington considers dictators, will be left out.
Although Washington did not want to confirm this point on Monday, last January, a senior US official said that any leader who has been “democratically elected” will be invited to the IX Summit of the Americas.
The source, who requested anonymity, did not want to confirm whether that means that the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, whom Washington considers dictators, will be left out, and said that it had not yet made final decisions on the invitations.
The Summit of the Americas is an event that brings together the heads of state and government of the countries of the American continent and is held every three or four years. Cuba has attended the last two editions in Panama (2015) and Peru (2018). This year it is scheduled to take place from June 6 to 10 in Los Angeles.
Last week, the United States and Cuba held a meeting in Washington to talk about migration, in the first high-level bilateral dialogue since President Joe Biden came to power in January 2021 and that this Monday Bruno Rodríguez described as a “positive sign “.
During the press conference, the foreign minister valued Washington’s “recognition” of the “full validity” of the bilateral agreements on migration as “correct and positive” and welcomed the resumption of its consular services in Havana.
These were, however, the only positive elements that Rodríguez highlighted in his country’s relationship with the United States, in the area of migration and in general.
The foreign minister lamented that the consular services initially planned by the United States are “extremely limited” and reiterated that Washington is not fulfilling its “legal” commitment to issue 20,000 annual visas for Cuban migrants.
“When will they fulfill the 20,000 visa obligation? How many visas will be granted in 2022?” he asked.
Rodríguez charged against the United States’ policy with Cuba, calling it “incoherent” and “contradictory”, focusing on migration and the “strengthening of the blockade”, the “fundamental cause” – he said – of the island’s economic problems.
The chancellor accused Washington, on the one hand, of “tightening the blockade, fueling economic problems” and giving “constant encouragement” to “irregular”, “disorderly”, “unsafe” and “illegal” migration with the Cuban fit.
“When will they fulfill the obligation of the 20,000 visas? How many visas will be granted in 2022?”
And, on the other hand, of hindering the arrival of Cuban migrants to their territory, closing the consular services with “incredible pretexts” – in reference to the medical problems called Havana syndrome, whose origin has not been clarified – and cutting ” travel channels to and from third countries”.
Regarding the economic sanctions imposed by the United States on Cuba, in force for more than 60 years, he estimated the “accumulated damage” caused at 1.326 billion dollars.
Cuban migration to the United States has increased notably in recent months, in part due to the serious crisis that the Island is going through. This economic situation is due to the confluence of the impact of the pandemic, the tightening of US sanctions and the rulings in national macroeconomic management.
According to US immigration authorities, some 47,331 Cuban migrants entered the US between October and February, after a record number of 16,657 arrived at the border in February alone.
________________________
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 newspaper. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
