Bogota, Jan 16 (Prensa Latina) Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Jorge Rojas on Wednesday advocated for an end of the blockade imposed for more than 60 years against Cuba by successive governments of the United States.

Rojas expressed this opinion to local W Radio, to which he mentioned Cuba’s recent removal from the State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list that Washington unilaterally draws up.

He commented that since the beginning of the Government of President Gustavo Petro in 2022, there has been insistence that Cuba be removed from that list, and that its removal from that designation reverses an injustice.

“Cuba has only supported the peace process in Colombia. We have been working with the outgoing Government of the United States, which made this decision, which we welcome and which we hope can be complemented with measures to end the blockade,” Rojas pointed out

He also recalled that Colombia is voting to lift the economic, financial and commercial blockade, which, he acknowledged, is a policy that only serves to harm the people.

In addition to Rojas, Vice President Francia Márquez also demanded the elimination of the rest of the punitive measures against Cuba.

He pointed out that the exclusion from the terrorist list is progress, “but the blockade that has done so much harm to Cuban families still needs to be fully lifted.”

Other political organizations, such as the Common Party, welcomed the decision announced on Tuesday by the White House to remove Cuba from the list, and insisted on the urgency of lifting the economic blockade.

“Cuba should never have been on that list, we know that these actions have been part of the reprisals against the Caribbean island that shows the world that only solidarity can save us as a species,” said that group.

Communist Party of Colombia President Jaime Caicedo assured that Cuba’s removal from the list is the triumph of reason and the persistence of its people, its government, its Party, its Revolution and the clamor of solidarity of the peoples of the world.

He informed that they would continue to fight for the total lifting of the blockade.

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Moscow, Jan 16 (Prensa Latina) Activists of the Russian solidarity movement with Cuba joined in congratulating Cuba’s exclusion from the United States arbitrary list of states allegedly sponsoring terrorism.

In their weekly program on YouTube “Europe for Cuba”, the friends of Cuba described the recent decision of the U.S. authorities as a great victory for the Cuban people.

“Cuba’s removal from this list is an example of the actions of the solidarity movements of the world, including our collaboration from Russia, to do justice and achieve this positive objective deserved by the Cubans who have been fighting for more than six decades against Washington’s coercive measures,” declared the coordinator of the channel and head of the Russian Committee for the end of the blockade of Cuba, Lena Loshkina.

Loshkina also stressed that it is the right time to continue raising the world’s voices so that the US administrations, once and for all, understand the inhumane and aggressive nature of the sanctions to which Cuba is exposed. She also highlighted the repeal of the financial measures contained in Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which is controversial and harmful to Cuban citizens.

Also present at the program was the Cuban ambassador in Moscow, Julio Garmendia, who took the opportunity to thank the Russian friends of solidarity for their unconditional support to Cuba. “This victory is not only of the Cuban people, it is a victory of all the friends of Cuba, of many people in the world such as former presidents, intellectuals, parliamentarians, press workers, friends of solidarity in any corner of the world who worked day after day for this moment to arrive,” the diplomat acknowledged.

Garmedia said that all of Cuba welcomed the decision of the United States, considering that justice is being done with respect, to the history of Cuba, “a country that far from being a sponsor of terrorism, is a historic fighter against terrorism.”

Garmendia added that, despite being limited in nature, the decision of President Joe Biden’s administration is going in the right direction and lines up with the sustained and firm demand of the Cuban Government, people, and the world in general.

The ambassador stressed that although it is a positive action, it is not a reason to boast because the blockade remains, and it is time to maintain the historic struggle for its lifting.

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Havana, Jan 16 (Prensa Latina) Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) reported that the recovery of the travel industry continues with a record number of Russian travelers.

On its Facebook account, the MINTUR certified that authorities celebrated that 185,800 Russian tourists had visited Cuba, accounting for a significant growth in travelers’ interest in the Caribbean island.

They added that this increase not only highlights the attraction that Cuba exerts as a tourist destination, but also the warmth of the people and the wealth of its culture.

The MINTUR expressed gratitude to all those who choose to enjoy the Cuban benefits, such as beaches, nature, heritage, history and traditions.

The news was replicated by Cubadebate, which pointed out that this record was opportunely communicated by the tourism advisor at the Cuban Embassy in Moscow, Cristina León Iznaga, who was quoted by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.

The figure is one percent above the 2023 report (184,800), and five percent compared to the travelers received in 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic (nearly 178,000).

The historic record is close to the estimate of 200,000 Russian visitors in 2024, which was released at the time by the MINTUR.

In this regard, Cuban Minister of Tourism Juan Carlos García noted that the goal in the coming years is to increase the Russian tourist flow to 500,000 visitors a year.

Direct flights currently depart from Moscow to Havana, Varadero and Cayo Coco, major tourist destination in the Cuban archipelago.

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Bogota, Jan 16 (Prensa Latina) Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Jorge Rojas on Wednesday advocated for an end of the blockade imposed for more than 60 years against Cuba by successive governments of the United States.

Rojas expressed this opinion to local W Radio, to which he mentioned Cuba’s recent removal from the State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list that Washington unilaterally draws up.

He commented that since the beginning of the Government of President Gustavo Petro in 2022, there has been insistence that Cuba be removed from that list, and that its removal from that designation reverses an injustice.

“Cuba has only supported the peace process in Colombia. We have been working with the outgoing Government of the United States, which made this decision, which we welcome and which we hope can be complemented with measures to end the blockade,” Rojas pointed out

He also recalled that Colombia is voting to lift the economic, financial and commercial blockade, which, he acknowledged, is a policy that only serves to harm the people.

In addition to Rojas, Vice President Francia Márquez also demanded the elimination of the rest of the punitive measures against Cuba.

He pointed out that the exclusion from the terrorist list is progress, “but the blockade that has done so much harm to Cuban families still needs to be fully lifted.”

Other political organizations, such as the Common Party, welcomed the decision announced on Tuesday by the White House to remove Cuba from the list, and insisted on the urgency of lifting the economic blockade.

“Cuba should never have been on that list, we know that these actions have been part of the reprisals against the Caribbean island that shows the world that only solidarity can save us as a species,” said that group.

Communist Party of Colombia President Jaime Caicedo assured that Cuba’s removal from the list is the triumph of reason and the persistence of its people, its government, its Party, its Revolution and the clamor of solidarity of the peoples of the world.

He informed that they would continue to fight for the total lifting of the blockade.

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Havana, Jan 15 (Prensa Latina) Cuba was removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, which has been celebrated by world leaders and social organizations who also demand the end of the US blockade.

The measure announced on Tuesday by Joe Biden’s administration was received with satisfaction by several countries, especially in Latin America, including Venezuela, Colombia, and Bolivia, as well as representatives of solidarity movements with Cuba.

The Bolivarian government of President Nicolás Maduro described the action of the United States as limited and maintained that such a designation should never have been applied to Cuba, and stressed the need to dismantle the blockade that has affected Cuban society for more than 60 years.

The head of state of Bolivia, Luis Arce, praised the US decision and stated that “reason, truth and justice have prevailed,” after the “unilateral, arbitrary and infamous inclusion (on the list) in 2021,” the dignitary assured on his X account.

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, also celebrated the exclusion of Cuba from the list. The president considered that eliminating punitive measures, even partially, constitutes progress.

The Colombian Foreign Ministry also expressed gratitude to the Cuban people for their unrestricted support in the negotiation and dialogue processes necessary to achieve peaceful coexistence in Colombia. “Due to our firm conviction in multilateralism as a principle of international relations, we reject the imposition of sanctions and unilateral measures and therefore, together with other allied countries in the region, we support the efforts and requests for the sister Republic of Cuba to be excluded from this list,” added the note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Treaty welcomed the news and praised “the elimination by the US government of two other unilateral coercive measures.” According to the bloc, despite the limited nature of the decision, it “goes in the right direction and lined with the sustained and firm claim of Cuba” and of numerous international actors, while favoring Cuba on its sovereign path of development.”

In the United States, the National Network on Cuba (NNOC) reaffirmed its commitment to fight against the blockade and noted the efforts of solidarity to achieve the result made public on Tuesday by the Biden administration. The co-president of the NNOC, Cheryl LaBash, told Prensa Latina that “When we fight, we win!”, referring to the “many resolutions that represent more than 60 million people in the United States – municipal councils, state legislatures, unions – who made their voices heard.”

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Jan 14 (Belly of the Beast) In a last-second surprise move, the Biden administration has removed Cuba from the U.S. government’s State Sponsors of Terrorism List.

There is “no credible evidence at this time of ongoing support by Cuba of international terrorism,” according to a senior administration official.

There was no credible evidence that Cuba sponsored terrorism when Trump put Cuba on the terror list four years ago.

But Biden ignored calls from across the political spectrum – including the UN, former U.S. officials and members of his own party – until now.

To read more about how Biden embraced Trump’s designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, check out our latest article by Alyssa Oursler and Jack McGrath.

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Biden Also Suspends Title III

The Biden administration will also suspend Title III of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, according to a senior administration official.

Title III allows U.S. claimants whose property was nationalized during the Cuban Revolution to sue companies for doing business on that property.

Dozens of lawsuits were filed against U.S. and European companies since Trump activated Title III in 2019.

Title III dissuaded foreign companies from investing in Cuba, cutting the island off from investment.

To learn more about Title III and its impact on Cuba’s economy read our article Billboards and Backchannels.

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“Unilateral Steps” Could Lead to Prisoner Release

In a third move, the Biden administration is eliminating a list of Cuban “restricted entities” that are off limits to U.S. individuals and companies. The list includes dozens of Cuban hotels.

The list was established after Trump announced his rollback of Obama’s opening with Cuba on June 16, 2017.

A Biden administration official described these moves as “unilateral steps.”

However, the official said the administration expected these measures would lead to the release of “the many dozens of Cubans arrested in connection with the July 2021 protests.”

The official said the Catholic Church has advanced in talks with Cuba to release “political prisoners” and “those who have been detained unjustly.”

Policy Expected to be Short-Lived

Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, Title III, and the raft of other sanctions imposed by Trump, have devastated Cuba’s economy.

Throughout his administration, Biden has ignored calls to return to Obama’s opening, instead embracing Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy against Cuba.

This sudden change in Biden’s Cuba policy would have been a promising sign for U.S.-Cuba relations and for the Cuban economy.

However, with Cuban-American hardliner Marco Rubio picked as Secretary of State, the incoming administration is expected to reverse the last-second moves.

To read more about Rubio and how his appointment as Secretary of State may affect Cuba policy, read our article HERE.

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If you haven’t seen it, don’t miss our groundbreaking documentary about Biden’s Cuba policy, Uphill on the Hill.

Jan 14 (teleSUR) The US State Department on Tuesday removed Cuba from the spurious list of countries sponsoring terrorism, according to a statement issued by the White House.

In the document, the agency confirmed that “the United States maintains as a central objective of its policy the need to achieve greater freedom and democracy, greater respect for human rights, and greater freedom of enterprise in Cuba. To achieve these objectives, practical engagement with Cuba and the Cuban people will be necessary, going beyond what is described in the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-5) and taking into account recent developments in Cuba and the changing regional and global context.”

Accordingly, the White House announced that NSPM-5 is revoked, whereby “the Secretary of State will immediately rescind the list developed pursuant to Section 3(a)(i) of NSPM-5, and the Secretary of the Treasury will initiate a process to adjust current regulations as a result of this revocation of NSPM-5.”

At the beginning of January 2021, days before Donald Trump left the White House, Cuba was included in the list again, from which it had been removed by the Obama administration in 2015, during the period of bilateral rapprochement that took place at the end of the second term of this American politician.

Cuba was first included on the list in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan.

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