MIAMI, United States. — The Vice President of Colombia, Francia Márquez, asked the United States government to withdraw Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorismin which it was included in January 2021 by the Donald Trump administration.
Visiting Havana for the inauguration of the International Book Fair, which this year will be dedicated to Colombia, Márquez assured that Cuba is a country that is committed to peace and that it should not be sanctioned.
“A country that bets on peace cannot be a country that is placed on a war list,” said the deputy president in statements reproduced by the AFP Agency.
In this sense, France also called on Washington to lift the commercial and financial embargo imposed on the Cuban regime since 1962.
“We support the demand to lift the blockade,” said the Colombian lawyer and politician, who assured that Cuba has contributed “enormously to Colombia’s progress in finding peace.”
“Cuba witnessed in solidarity the writing of a new chapter in our history (…). I cannot stop thanking the island, its leaders and its people for having been the common home for this process and for their willingness to repeatedly support peace in our country,” said Márquez, referring to the talks held in Havana to reach the peace agreement between the government and the Colombian guerrillas.
After her arrival in the Cuban capital, the Colombian leader met privately with the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, who confirmed the intention “to strengthen and diversify bilateral ties” between the two countries.
Francia Márquez is expected to visit the stands of the International Book Fair this Friday, which is held until February 19. As part of her stay in Cuba, the Colombian vice president will also meet with ambassadors from African and Caribbean countries.
