Havana, Nov 23 (Radio Habana Cuba) The 19^th edition of the European Continental Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba begins today in Paris, with approximately 280 delegates representing a hundred organizations from more than 25 countries.

The two-day event will be held at the headquarters of the French Communist Party, with the attendance of solidarity, youth, and women’s organizations, political forces, trade unions, and other social actors from the region.

Participants will discuss the actions taken and future plans related to the fight against the economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba for over six decades, as well as its consequences and the demand for Cuba’s removal from the list of countries considered sponsors of terrorism by Washington.

Furthermore, the delegates will analyze the communication efforts in support of Cuba and explore ways to enhance economic cooperation in the current context of the intensified extraterritorial siege.

Rigoberto Zarza, Director of Europe at the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, told the press that the event, which has not been held since 2018 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and international tensions, is highly anticipated.

Zarza emphasized the confirmed wide participation and the topics to be discussed at the forum, which will culminate tomorrow with a final declaration and a public act of solidarity with Cuba.

Following the initial interventions in the plenary session of the Meeting, the delegates will work in committees.

One of these will focus on communication issues, aiming to continue supporting the island in the virtual environment, while another will address economic cooperation in the context of the effects of the US embargo. (Source: Prensa Latina)

By María Josefina Arce.

Nov 22 (Radio Habana Cuba) The blockade that the United States has maintained against Cuba for more than six decades affects the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals, which seek to achieve a balance between economic progress, social welfare and preservation of the environment.

The economic, financial and commercial sanctions reach all sectors of life and society, hindering the country’s National Development Plan and negatively affecting the quality of life of Cubans.

This has been denounced by the Caribbean nation in various international forums and was reiterated in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, by the Cuban Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, Armando Rodríguez Batista, during his speech at the Ministerial Table on Just Transition of the Program of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change.

From the point of view of environmental protection, the economic siege goes against the environmental strategy of the largest of the Antilles, which is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its insularity.

The hostile policies of successive U.S. administrations hinder the acquisition of advanced technologies needed to implement the adaptation and mitigation measures included in the Task Life, State Plan to Confront Climate Change.

Likewise, as the Cuban authorities have denounced, financial opportunities are reduced because it is not possible to carry out transactions with banks with interests in US territory.

In addition, the United States has opposed Cuba’s access to international financing for environmental protection projects such as Mi Costa, which aims to strengthen coastal resilience in the face of climate change.

This initiative is expected to restore more than 15,000 hectares of coastal ecosystems, mainly mangrove forests and marsh grasslands, which will provide a natural barrier against strong winds and flooding.

The blockade also hinders exchanges with U.S. scientists and access to specialized information on digital websites.

Despite the U.S. siege, Cuba remains committed to sustainable development, which includes improving the living conditions of all its citizens and preserving the environment.

Washington, Nov 22 (Prensa Latina) US Congresswoman Maxine Waters affirmed that she will never give up her friendship with Cuba and reiterated her continuous calling for the elimination of the blockade that currently causes suffering to that nation.

“I began to call for the lifting of the embargo (blockade) some few years ago, and I know we could not achieve it, but we must never stop trying,” Waters told Prensa Latina in this capital.

I am a friend of Cuba and have visited that country several times, the Democratic representative from California stated at the end of a meeting at Havana’s diplomatic mission in Washington, with members of the US Agricultural Coalition for Cuba.

Waters, also a member of the House of Representatives, added, “I think we need to focus on what we could do for the relationship between the two nations.”

The chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus from 1997 to 1998 stated that they need to ensure that US agricultural products reach Cuba. “So I will never give up my friendship with Cuba, and I look forward to my next visit.”

In welcoming the members of the farm coalition at the Cuban diplomatic headquarters here on Thursday evening, Charge d’Affaires Lianys Torres said Washington’s policy toward Havana “continues to be based on the prohibition of regular trade between companies of both countries.”

Torres said: “The commercial, financial, and economic blockade, Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, and Cuba’s inclusion in Washington’s State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list not only affect our economy but also have a direct impact on the livelihood of the Cuban people.

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