Santo Domingo, Dec 13 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said here today that the rigorous application of the United States blockade to suffocate Cuba’s economy is damaging the standard of living of its population.
Cossío, who attended an international forum in the Dominican Republic on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Summit of the Americas, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of this country, reiterated the negative impact that the economic, commercial and financial blockade, the longest in history, has on that Caribbean nation and on its families.
During an exchange with the Cuban state mission in Santo Domingo, the Vice Minister spoke about the state of relations between Havana and Washington. He pointed out that this economic siege was tightened under the government of Donald Trump (2017-2021) and continued under the current administration of Joseph Biden.
He pointed out that Biden implemented all the measures imposed by his predecessor and will finish his term in January without any changes in the hostile policy towards Havana.
Regarding the mass deportation publicly announced by the upcoming Donald Trump administration, he considered it unrealistic to happen, and noted that there are immigration agreements that must be respected.
He also referred to the irregular treatment received at U.S. airports by Cubans residing in that territory and others who travel to the northern country, even when they live in third countries.
Fernández de Cossío described the atmosphere of the meeting held this week in the Dominican city of Punta Cana with the presence of several former presidents, foreign ministers and other officials as favorable. Lissette Pérez Pérez, a specialist from the General Directorate of Latin America and the Caribbean of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, traveled to the Dominican Republic along with the Cuban vice minister.
The Dominican Republic will host the 10th Summit of the Americas in 2025; the 9th of these meetings, held in Los Angeles, United States, was marked by the absence of several regional leaders.
Some of them decided not to attend in response to the White House’s decision to leave the presidents of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua off its guest list.
npg/mpv
