Cuba Criticizes U.S. Unilateralism and Reiterates Denunciation of the Embargo

Speaking at the ministerial segment of the XXX Ibero-American Summit in Madrid, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla warned about "interference in the internal affairs of States (...), with a marked extraterritorial character and intimidation, including to obstruct cooperation and impede legitimate commercial relations between sovereign States."

During his speech, he emphasized that Washington redoubled its siege against Cuba this year, "including the imposition of an energy embargo, which is equivalent to a naval blockade, and secondary sanctions that obstruct economic and commercial relations."

"All these measures cause suffering to our people, constitute an act of collective punishment, violate International Law, and are harmful to the heritage of our Community," the Cuban Foreign Minister stated.

He also took the opportunity to thank the Ibero-American countries "that voted in favor of approving" the resolution calling for an end to the embargo against Cuba, presented the previous week at the United Nations General Assembly.

"There is a very Spanish phrase, although not from Cervantes, that says: 'They bark, Sancho, a sign that we are riding,'" he noted, contextualizing the overwhelming majority support for the largest island in the Antilles at the UN.

The diplomat praised the role of the Ibero-American Conference for its ability to bring together "our 22 countries from our common culture and rich diversity, to cooperate on the basis of mutual respect and benefit and advance toward the achievement of shared goals."

He referred to the global context, which inevitably impacts the Ibero-American space, marked by the reinforcement of unilateralism by the planet's largest military power and the impossible imposition of peace through force, among other issues.

"We Ibero-American countries have shown that it is possible to achieve tangible results in priority issues such as food security, digital transformation, disaster risk reduction, education, and addressing climate change," Rodríguez Parrilla remarked.

Furthermore, he expressed appreciation to Spain for the remarkable results achieved and its leadership at the head of the community, as well as to the Ibero-American General Secretariat, highlighting Cuba's commitment to building a more just and sustainable international order.