US blockade policy against Cuba denounced in Nicaragua

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Managua, April 11 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban ambassador to Nicaragua, Iliana Fonseca, today denounced the hostility of the United States blockade against her country and affirmed that it constitutes a policy of permanent aggression.

In a meeting with members of the National Assembly (Parliament), the diplomat explained the law on trade with the United States’ enemy, the legal basis for which the economic, commercial, and financial siege imposed on the island for more than six decades has been underpinned.

In this regard, he referred to the Torricelli (1992) and Helms-Burton (1996) laws, legal instruments that became a strangulation mechanism towards Cuba.

Both regulations seek to eliminate all forms of economic support for the Caribbean nation and seek to legalize intervention in its internal affairs.

During the presentation, which was attended by the legislative board of directors, as well as the Nicaragua-Cuba parliamentary friendship group and other guests, the ambassador also addressed the maximum pressure policy pursued by the Donald Trump administration (243 measures) and Joe Biden.

Fonseca explained to the Nicaraguan deputies the difference between “embargo” and “blockade,” pointing out that an embargo is a technical-legal term, while a blockade is “an act of war that seeks to cut off, close off, and isolate communications with the outside world in order to achieve the surrender of the besieged by force or starvation.”

Along these lines, he outlined the prohibitions imposed by Washington’s unilateral measure against Havana and noted that Cuba cannot import or export to the northern nation.

Furthermore, Americans are prohibited by law from traveling to the island; Cuba cannot conduct transactions in dollars, nor does it have access to credit from international institutions.

Likewise, he clarified that no products with Cuban components can be exported to the United States, while the largest of the Antilles can only access products that have less than 10 percent American components.

The diplomat described the blockade as a violation of international law and an act of unilateral aggression, as well as a threat to Cuba’s stability.

“It constitutes a massive, flagrant, and systematic violation of human rights. Given its stated purpose and the political, legal, and administrative framework on which it is based, it qualifies as an act of genocide,” Fonseca emphasized.

For their part, the Nicaraguan deputies expressed their solidarity with Cuba, while reiterating their condemnation of the aforementioned policy, which affects all sectors of the Caribbean country’s political, economic, and social life.

According to the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is unacceptable, legal, and unethical for a small country to be subjected to a criminal policy of suffocation for decades, with economic damages exceeding $164.141 billion at current prices, and $1.499 trillion, considering the value of gold on the international market.

According to the most recent report presented by Cuba to the United Nations, between March 2023 and February 2024 alone, the blockade caused damage to the island estimated at approximately $5.568 billion.

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Cuba thanks CELAC for its support in the fight against US hostility

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, Apr 11 (Prensa Latina) Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez thanked the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) for its support in Cuba’s confrontation with the hostility of the United States government, with a message published today in X.

“Cuba has faced more than 60 years of a genocidal economic, commercial, and financial blockade with grave humanitarian consequences for our people,” said the Cuban Foreign Minister.

He also asserted that the effects of this policy “are aggravated by Cuba’s arbitrary reinstatement, on January 20, to the infamous and unilateral list of states supposedly sponsoring terrorism.”

What happened, he said, “demonstrates the inconsistency, irrationality, and lack of legitimacy of the U.S. government’s conduct toward Cuba.”

“I wish to express my gratitude for CELAC’s historic and sustained support in this regard,” he emphasized.

During the 9th Summit of Heads of State and Government of CELAC, which concluded last Wednesday in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, several presidents of member nations demanded an end to the U.S. embargo on the island.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum asserted that this policy harms the well-being of the people and does not contribute to building regions of peace and prosperity.

Similar terms were used in their speeches by the presidents of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi, and Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as well as other leaders attending the Summit.

Likewise, the Tegucigalpa Declaration, adopted by 30 States, rejects the imposition of unilateral coercive measures contrary to international law, including those restricting world trade.

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The IX CELAC Summit concludes with the signing of the Tegucigalpa Declaration

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

At the close of the IX Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Tegucigalpa Declaration recognized the work carried out by the Republic of Honduras at the helm of the organization and welcomed Colombia’s Pro Tempore Presidency for the 2025-2026 period.

April 9 (teleSUR) As the culmination of three days of work at the Central Bank of Honduras, which included meetings of national coordinators and foreign ministers, the IX Summit of Heads of State and Government of CELAC concluded with the signing of the Tegucigalpa Declaration, adopted by “sufficient consensus” by 30 member states of the organization .

Thus, the majority of delegations—with the exception of Argentina, Nicaragua, and Paraguay, as indicated in the official document—reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening CELAC as the political coordination mechanism that integrates all the countries of the region and is based on the wealth of declarations adopted at previous summits.

The Tegucigalpa Declaration ratifies the full validity of the so-called Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace . This is based on respect for the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, international cooperation, democracy and the rule of law, multilateralism, the protection and promotion of all human rights, respect for self-determination, non-interference in internal affairs, sovereignty, and territorial integrity .

The text also rejects the imposition of unilateral coercive measures contrary to international law, including those restricting international trade.

The declaration notes that it is appropriate and fitting that a national of a Latin American and Caribbean country should serve as Secretary-General of the United Nations . In this regard, it argues that, of the nine Secretaries-General the UN has had to date, only one came from a state in the region and points out that the position has never been held by a woman.

In addition to underscoring the importance of joint CELAC interventions in multilateral forums on issues of common interest, the leaders expressed their appreciation to the Republic of Honduras for its work as the organization’s Pro Tempore Presidency (PPT) . In this regard, they highlighted its efforts to facilitate high-level meetings to share efforts and experiences in the areas of food security, women, education, coffee, energy, financial cooperation, climate change, and human mobility.

On another point, the Tegucigalpa Declaration reaffirms the will to continue political dialogue to deepen CELAC’s cooperation ties with other countries and regional groups , while recognizing the progress made during the meetings convened by the PPT of Honduras on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.https://www.youtube.com/embed/6XF2UOEt_U0?si=Eqe4YejiY14T2PJh

The document certainly welcomes the Republic of Colombia as a PPT member of the mechanism for the 2025-2026 period and reaffirms its identified priorities for CELAC’s work . It specifically highlights those related to energy (energy transition and interconnection), human mobility, health and health self-sufficiency, food security, the environment and climate change, and Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples. It also emphasizes issues of science, technology, and innovation; connectivity and infrastructure; strengthening trade and investment; transnational organized crime; and education and gender equality.

The Tegucigalpa Declaration reaffirms its strong support for the stability of the Republic of Haiti . It also reaffirms a commitment to contribute, in accordance with each nation’s capabilities, to support this country in its efforts, together with the international community and the United Nations, to establish a human security environment to normalize its political, economic, and social situation.

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Presidents of Cuba and Bolivia hold meeting in Honduras

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Tegucigalpa, Apr 9 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel held talks with his Bolivian counterpart, Luis Alberto Arce, in this capital, in the context of the IX Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), it was revealed today.

Sincere and pleasant meeting with the brother president of Cuba, Díaz-Canel, Arce wrote in a message on X, which was published on the account of the Presidency of the Caribbean country on that same social network.

According to the Bolivian president, during the exchange they shared “more than just the history and struggles of our peoples.”

We share, he noted, “the same worldview with greater inclusion, opportunities, and social justice.”

Díaz-Canel and Arce participated this Wednesday in the high-level segment of the IX CELAC Summit, held in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, with delegations from the 33 member countries of this political coordination mechanism.

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Latin America and the Caribbean reaffirm their commitment to regional integration

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Tegucigalpa, April 9 (Prensa Latina) The IX Presidential Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) committed here today to strengthening the bloc as a mechanism for political coordination that integrates all countries in the region.

In light of the region’s current challenges, the heads of state and senior representatives of CELAC agreed by consensus on the Tegucigalpa Declaration, the main document emerging from these forums.

The 11 leaders present in Honduras, including host President Xiomara Castro, highlighted the full validity of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, 11 years after its signing, during the Second Summit held in Havana, Cuba.

A zone of peace based on the promotion and respect for the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, international cooperation, democracy and the rule of law, and multilateralism.

The document also emphasizes the protection and promotion of all human rights, respect for self-determination, non-interference in internal affairs, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

Likewise, representatives from 30 of the 33 CELAC member countries rejected the imposition of unilateral coercive measures contrary to international law, including those restricting international trade.

They affirmed their shared conviction that it is timely and appropriate for a national of a Latin American and Caribbean State to serve as Secretary-General of the UN.

They noted that of the nine UN secretaries-general to date, only one came from a Latin American nation, and that the position has never been held by a woman, they emphasized.

The high-level meeting underscored the importance of coordinating joint CELAC interventions in multilateral forums on issues of common interest.

The members of the intergovernmental organization recognized Honduras for the work it has done in its capacity as Pro Tempore Presidency (PPT) since 2024.

They highlighted, under the leadership of this Central American state, the holding of high-level meetings to share efforts and experiences in the areas of food security, women, education, coffee, energy, financial cooperation, climate change, and human mobility.

They also reaffirmed their willingness to continue political dialogue to deepen CELAC’s cooperative ties with other countries and regional groups.

In this regard, they praised the progress made during the meetings convened by the Honduran PPT, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

They welcomed Colombia as a CELAC PPT (2025-2026) and endorsed its identified priorities for the mechanism’s work regarding energy (energy transition and interconnection); human mobility; health and health self-sufficiency; food security; the environment; and climate change.

Colombia’s pro tempore presidency will also focus on the situation of Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples; science, technology, and innovation; connectivity and infrastructure; strengthening trade and investment; transnational organized crime; education; and gender equality, among other issues.

The leaders expressed their firm support for Haiti’s stability and their commitment, based on each country’s capabilities, to supporting its efforts, together with the international community, to reestablish an environment of human security for the normalization of the political, economic, and social situation, with a comprehensive approach to development.

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Cuba dignifies the Latin American vision of the Honduran government

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Tegucigalpa, April 8 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel today honored in this capital the firm stance of the government of Honduran President Xiomara Castro in favor of the unity and integration of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Díaz-Canel, who is in Tegucigalpa to participate in the 9th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), praised the socioeconomic and political transformations implemented by Castro’s progressive administration in just three years of administration.

The dignitary made these remarks during a fraternal meeting with members of the Honduran solidarity movement with Cuba, members of the island’s medical and educational brigades, and staff from Havana’s diplomatic mission in the Central American nation.

Referring to Honduras’s first female president, the president praised her determination to work for the well-being of her fellow citizens by implementing numerous initiatives to end decades of poverty and inequality.

Xiomara Castro’s administration is focused on its people, and that, he asserted, is one of the main reasons for the presence of our health and education professionals in this country, contributing our modest experience in these fields, he emphasized.

Despite the United States government’s furious attacks on Honduras’ medical and educational collaboration with more than 50 other nations, Díaz-Canel emphasized the courage of Honduras and other nations in the region to maintain these specialists.

Improving the health indicators of the Honduran people and teaching literacy, as we have done in more than 52 countries, is the sole purpose of this selfless cooperation, the president emphasized.

“What can we say about the solidarity of the people of this country with Cuba, which responds to historical reasons,” ties that are impossible to break, he asserted.

During her speech, she acknowledged the defense of the Cuban people’s causes by the solidarity movement and the Castro administration, whom she described as a sister, a friend of the Caribbean nation, and a “true lineage of Latin American women” in the struggles of Latin America and the Caribbean.

“You have a woman with qualities we greatly appreciate, one of the Latin American leaders who decided not to attend a summit because of Cuba’s exclusion,” the president emphasized, also thanking Castro for denouncing the U.S. blockade against the island in all international forums.

Díaz-Canel stated that his presence in Honduras—for just a few hours and the first visit by a Cuban president—was necessary due to Cuba’s commitment to “our sister President Xiomara Castro” and to CELAC, to which we bring a message of peace, he specified.

“Rest assured that the Cuban Revolution will emerge victorious from these imperialist attacks, and that the people of Honduras can always count on our unconditional support,” concluded the head of state, who will participate tomorrow in the summit of the largest regional coordination mechanism.

During the emotional meeting, attended by several Honduran ministers, Díaz-Canel was accompanied by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and Havana’s ambassador to Tegucigalpa, Juan Loforte.

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For the people of Cuba, we must die, declared Díaz-Canel

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 8 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called the people of the Caribbean nation heroic and expressed his willingness to die to defend all their rights, according to reports today.

“It’s a conviction that is reinforced in every encounter we have with this people. We must die for this heroic people. Because every day they are giving lessons in exemplary conduct and heroism,” the head of state declared.

During an interview with Spanish journalists Pascual Serrano, Javier Couso, José Manzaneda, and Carlos González Penalva, Díaz-Canel emphasized that, despite the country’s current difficult circumstances, its people are making great efforts to overcome them.

“Instead of seeing discouragement, instead of seeing frustration, he’s always on the move, always looking for ways to move forward, always looking for ways to fight and how to succeed,” he said during the exchange, broadcast Tuesday in a joint broadcast of the local television program Mesa Redonda, Cubainformación in Spain, and Venezuela News.

The president acknowledged that “we have negative tendencies, which become more acute and manifest themselves in times of crisis,” and which, he said, are addressed by “discussing our problems honestly.”

He also emphasized that “the heroism of the people is greatly fueled by the solidarity they receive from their friends around the world.”

“We know what it costs to defend Cuba and how pressure is brought to bear, how attempts are made to prevent individuals, groups, countries, organizations, and parties from defending it. Therefore, we will not let that down,” he asserted.

“Rest assured: the generation or generations that are today assuming the continuity of the revolutionary process are assuming the responsibilities of the government, of the party,” he commented.

They are, he emphasized, “generations loyal to the thinking of Fidel, to the thinking of Raúl, to the Centennial Generation. We learned from them. We share their convictions, and we will defend the Cuban Revolution to the bitter end.”

Responding to a question from Manzaneda, the president stated that “what most hinders our dreams, the achievements of the Cuban people, and I say this responsibly, is the blockade (economic, financial, and commercial by the United States government).”

But, he concluded, we also have to improve and perfect our work.

“The Cuban people resist by their own will, by their own conviction, by their own ability; but also because they know what the Cuban Revolution means to the world,” he noted.

For us, he noted, it is a great responsibility to see how so many people around the world, even in the most distant latitudes, have made it their lives to support the Cuban Revolution.

We cannot betray that, he reiterated, and clarified that “we do not want to be seen as a perfect society, but we do aspire to build a better society, and we want to work with those who want a better world, which is not only possible, but must be possible.”

“What I can assure you, and I dare to say this responsibly on behalf of the majority of the Cuban people, is that no one here gives up. No one here gives up,” he asserted.

And, he declared, they can continue to tighten the blockade, they can continue to slander all the achievements on social media, but there is a lot of morality, there is a lot of history to defend, and there is a lot of courage among the Cuban people.

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Díaz-Canel arrived in Honduras to participate in the CELAC Summit

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Tegucigalpa, April 8 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel arrived in Honduras to participate in the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), according to an official announcement released today.

According to a message published on X by the Cuban Presidency, the head of state arrived in the early afternoon of this Tuesday.

“President Díaz-Canel is already in Honduras to participate in the IX CELAC Summit,” the text states.

This is the Cuban leader’s first visit to that nation, the source stated.

Under the motto “United for the Great Homeland,” foreign ministers and senior diplomatic officials from the organization’s member countries will meet this April 8 at the Central Bank of Honduras to discuss economic and social solutions of regional interest.

The purpose of the meeting is to establish the thematic agenda with the strategic guidelines that the heads of state and government will address tomorrow, Wednesday, during the Summit.

At the end of the day, the delegations from the 33 member nations of the organization will receive a summary of Honduras’ work at the helm of the organization for the past year.

They will also analyze the Tegucigalpa Declaration, which contains the actions and agreements from the 2024-2025 meetings, with the goal of achieving consensus in Latin America and the Caribbean on important regional issues.

Press reports from the Honduran capital confirm that Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi and the leader of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council, Leslie Voltaire, are also in the country.

Likewise, the leaders of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Colombia, Gustavo Petro, among others, will discuss the migration crisis, the impact of global tariffs, and the urgency of increasing regional integration, among other topics.

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Central Cuban province maintains maternal mortality at zero

Posted on April 8, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Santa Clara, Cuba, April 7 (Prensa Latina) The central Cuban province of Villa Clara has maintained its maternal mortality rate at zero for three consecutive years, a success remembered today in this territory as part of the World Health Day celebrations.

Dr. Yandry Alfonso, head of the Maternal and Child Program in the province, explained that the reasons for these results include the stability achieved in critical maternal care, as well as in the Perinatology Service and in the intensive care units of the gynecological-obstetric and pediatric hospitals.

Villa Clara stands out in Cuba for achieving 201 pregnancies in municipal clinics in the last year alone, as well as maintaining the occupancy rate in maternity homes above 70 percent and achieving 252 pregnancies thanks to assisted reproduction.

According to Ailuj Casanova, national director of Medical Care at the Ministry of Public Health, in 2024 Cuba reported a maternal mortality rate of 40.6 per 100,000 women, higher than the 38.7 recorded in 2023.

These figures indicate the success of the central Cuban territory of Villa Clara in these indicators, although challenges remain: strengthening the program for care for fertile women, reducing teenage pregnancy, and strengthening complex health intervention programs.

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Cuban Foreign Minister arrives in Honduras for the CELAC summit

Posted on April 8, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Tegucigalpa, April 7 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez arrived in Honduras today to participate in the IX Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Rodríguez arrived at Palmerola International Airport, about 80 kilometers northwest of Tegucigalpa, and was welcomed at the airport by Honduran Deputy Foreign Ministers Cindy Rodríguez and Antonio García, along with the Cuban ambassador to that country, Juan Loforte.

In brief statements to state-run Channel 8, the head of Cuban diplomacy described the ties of friendship, cooperation, and solidarity that unite Cuba and Honduras as historic.

Rodríguez also highlighted the importance of the forum, which will bring together the 33 member nations of CELAC, considered the largest mechanism for political coordination in Latin America and the Caribbean. The dignitaries will meet next Wednesday in this capital.

This Monday, the regional organization’s national coordinators will discuss the documents that will emerge from the high-level meeting, with the attendance of a dozen Latin American and Caribbean leaders, in addition to the host president, Xiomara Castro.

Tomorrow will be the foreign ministers’ turn, tasked with finalizing the documents previously discussed by the coordinators for approval by the dignitaries, including the Tegucigalpa Declaration.

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