Category Archives: Cuba / US Relations

Washington’s accusation in its report that Cuba engages in people trafficking is a lie

Washington’s accusation in its report that Cuba engages in people trafficking is a lie
Declaration by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Minrexjuly 5, 2021 12:07:11


Photo: MINREX
On July 1, 2021, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken submitted his department’s ‘2020 Trafficking in Persons Report’, a document which, in common with others of the kind published by the Department, entirely lacks international or moral authority; it is a vehicle purely for false accusations and political blackmail.

It propagates yet another lie, by accusing Cuba of inadequate compliance with the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking in persons and of failing to make significant efforts in this respect. This accusation forms part of a campaign by Washington to discredit Cuba’s international cooperation efforts in the sphere of healthcare, for which Cuba has received recognition by dozens of governments and the gratitude of the populations which have benefited from it – almost entirely the humblest and most disadvantaged of the countries concerned; it has also evoked plaudits from the UN, the WHO and other international bodies.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects in the strongest possible terms this defamatory campaign by the US government, instigated in concert with America’s most reactionary and corrupt sectors, including extremist groups of Cuban origin represented in Congress by the likes of Senators Marco Rubio and Robert Menéndez.

Cuba has a policy of zero tolerance of trafficking in persons in any form and an impeccable record of prevention, combating and victim protection in this field, as recorded at the UN and with other international organizations.

Access to medical attention is a human right. Washington is committing a crime when it seeks to prevent people from receiving such services under bilateral agreements entered into freely and as a sovereign act between Cuba and dozens of governments, to benefit from the professional, dedicated, selfless work in a spirit of solidarity by hundreds of thousands of Cuban medical co-workers.

By repeating the immoral prevarications of the Trump administration, the present US foreign policy casts doubt on the seriousness of America’s commitment to combating the terrible scourge of people trafficking, while trivializing the international efforts underway in this respect.

America itself is among the countries with the worst problems of person trafficking. Its policies aimed at stifling the Cuban economy and its failure to honor bilateral migration accords play into the hands of organizations linked to international crime, smuggling of emigrants and trafficking in persons.

Havana, July 3, 2021

U.S. government priorities and relations with Cuba

Photo: Illustration by Elnur Amikishiyev
To outline his administration’s national security strategy, President Joe Biden released the Interim Strategic Guidance report, thus announcing his objectives. The most recent public antecedent to the plans presented is his article published in the magazine Foreign Affairs, in which he proclaims the intention to take action to ensure that, once again, the United States leads the world.

In the same tone, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in his inaugural address that the world is incapable of organizing itself alone, and that when the United States withdrew from any location, another country attempted to occupy it, and certainly not to promote U.S. interests. He likewise asserted that at no other time in his career had distinctions between domestic and foreign policy disappeared, as they have now, given the renovation and power of the United States.

Without even feeling the necessity to question the validity and viability of the above statements, the reader will agree that such ideas are not new, but rather totally consistent with the old, long-promoted “American” myth that presents the U.S. as the champion of equal opportunity and the exceptionality of a people who, chosen by God, received from the creator, as “manifest destiny.” the gift of ruling the world, to shape it in His image and likeness.

But it turns out that the world the U.S. presumes to lead, with its policies (domestic and foreign) and its priorities, is now characterized by the crisis of neo-liberal, post-globalization capitalism, made clear by its systemic crises and accelerated decline.

It is a world in which market fundamentalists lived (and some still live) convinced of the system’s self-regulation via Schumpeter’s “creative destruction” and “new monetary theory.” They underestimated the damage their policies caused the economy, creating deficits they assumed could be covered by “quantitative easing,” that is, issuing money and taking on debt, so much so that deficits are several times higher than the Gross Global Product, with predictably catastrophic results. To give readers an idea, citing the case of the USA, it is enough to point out that the country’s federal debt has reached 28.7 trillion dollars, while its Gross Domestic Product is 21.6 trillion. Moreover, total debt, including mortgages, student loans, credit cards, etc, has reached almost 82.7 trillion, figures that are increasing every second.

Continue reading U.S. government priorities and relations with Cuba

The U.S. government has no shame

Events reveal that imperialism has no shame
The U.S. government’s designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism serves as another resounding confirmation of how imperialism lies whenever it serves their purpose

Author: Dilbert Reyes Rodríguez | | informacion@granma.cu
january 19, 2021 10:01:46


Photo: MINREX
The announcement made by the United States government of its designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, serves as another resounding confirmation of how imperialism uses lies whenever it serves their purposes, be they political, economic, or of any other nature.

The infamous decision was condemned on Twitter by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, who described it as cynical and hypocritical.

“The political opportunism behind this action is recognized by all who are honestly concerned about the scourge of terrorism and its victims,” stated Rodríguez, also a member of the Communist Party of Cuba’s Political Bureau.

The serious accusation made by the Trump administration further discredits its immoral foreign policy, precisely at a time when the country is experiencing its open disregard for human life.

The country’s leaders who have arrogantly mounted this farce are, at the same time, promoting political extremism and encouraging armed protesters to storm public institutions; subordinating the population’s health to the market, in times of pandemic, exposing citizens to infection and death; selectively murdering, beyond the borders of their nation, those they consider enemies; and abstaining in complicit silence from condemning the assault rifle attack on the Washington embassy of the country they now shamelessly accuse of terrorism and attempt to subjugate with a blockade, using hunger and hardship to force a surrender.

The United States, the world’s most violent terrorist, describes as a state sponsor of such brutality the nation that send doctors around the world to contribute to saving lives in the battle against COVID-19. The facts reveal that imperialism has no shame.

Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, denounced the U.S. State Department

Cubans have confidence in the power of the truth, of law and justice
During a press conference today, Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, denounced the U.S. State Department, which, he noted, “is busy in dozens of capitals around the world mobilizing efforts to economically attack Cuba”

Digital news staffapril 25, 2019 15:04:36

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In a press conference this morning at the Foreign Ministry, Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, noted that the day began with an announcement from the U.S. State Department that its list of sanctioned Cuban entities had been updated to include some 200 enterprises, including five new ones.

He recalled that U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton, this past April 17, said that what was begun in Playa Girón would be concluded and that the Monroe Doctrine was alive and well.

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Photo: Cubaminrex
Rodríguez noted that Bolton chose Miami as the right location for such a statement, with a select audience composed of remnants of the dispersed, defeated 2506 Brigade that attempted to invade Cuba in 1961, saying, “This is the only audience that would applaud his words.”

He reported that a recently declassified document cited as an argument for additional sanctions on Cuba, the presence of Cuban military and intelligence services in Venezuela, “a vile slander that I once again deny,” Rodríguez said.

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Photo: Cubaminrex
He reaffirmed that Cuba has no troops or military forces in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and that Bolton is a pathological liar, who accused the Cuban Foreign Minister himself of stating that there were 20,000 Cuban thugs in Venezuelan territory.

That same Department of State memorandum cites the alleged deployment of Cuban military forces on the Venezuelan border with Colombia, to carry out provocations, prompting Rodríguezto demand that the U.S. produce evidence of such a charge, although the most outrageous slander, he said, is that Cuban doctors go door to door distributing medicines and warning Venezuelan residents that if they do not vote for the Chavista government, they will be denied medical services.“Bolton lied about the role of Cuban doctors in Venezuela when he said that they traded medicine for votes in favor of Nicolás Maduro.”“I want to thank the many governments around the world who have spoken out against the measures announced by the U.S. government, especially the voices that have been raised in solidarity with Cuba within that country.”The new measures not only hurt the interests of the Cuban people, but also infringe on the freedom and the rights of U.S. citizens to send remittances to their relatives and friends in Cuba.”Cuba rejects the measures announced on April 17, and reiterates that the U.S. government, in the absence of arguments and good reason, resorts to lies, attempting to justify their actions, now more shamelessly than ever.

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Photo: Cubaminrex
“The measures announced punish Cuban families, all without exception, and punish the families of residents in that country (…) Cuban families should not be held hostage by internal U.S. policy.”

“Cubans have confidence in the power of the truth, of law and justice

“Cuba reiterates its intention to base its relations on the principles of international law, mutual respect, and reciprocal benefit.”The Cuban Foreign Minister called on the international community to put an end to these irresponsible, absurd measures and to act before it is too late.“The U.S. government ignores the opinion of its citizens from various sectors interested in maintaining good relations between the two nations.”The U.S. accuses Cuba of violating human rights, of attacking its diplomats, of constituting a threat to its country, and of responding to the interests of other governments.

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“Cuba reciprocates the international community’s majority support with our medical collaboration, our broad diplomatic presence around the world, and by hosting a large number of embassies here.”