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Cuban Foreign Minister: These are times of solidarity and of understanding health as a right

BRuno reclamo embajada“We reaffirmed that these are times of solidarity and of understanding health as a right and not a commodity,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla posted on his Twitter account, referring to his remarks yesterday, June 3, during a video conference organized by Germany’s Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas with counterparts in Latin America and the Caribbean, to share experiences to better confront the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss how to overcome its consequences together.

During the online debate, in which 28 Foreign Ministers from the 33 countries of the region participated, Cuba’s Foreign Minister condemned the brutal tightening of the U.S. blockade imposed on our nation, a genocidal policy that makes access to medicines and equipment vital for the fight against the new coronavirus more difficult and expensive.

He reiterated Cuba’s full support to the World Health Organization (WHO), recognizing its efforts in the COVID-19 battle, and emphasizing the value of international solidarity and cooperation as the only way to face the current crisis. In this regard, he highlighted the work of 28 brigades of Cuban health professionals supporting 24 nations in combating the pandemic.

Rodriguez denounced the technical problems faced by the Cuban delegation which made participation in the videoconference difficult, given the use of the U.S. digital platform Zoom, to which Cuba has been denied access on equal terms, due to the unfair regulations of the U.S. blockade, a policy that violates our country’s right to intervene in international online forums and the principle of sovereign equality of states mandated by international law.

In another tweet, the Foreign Minister reported the imposition of new unilateral coercive measures by the United States against Cuba in the midst of the pandemic: “I strongly reject the sanctions announced by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo against seven entities in Cuba, designed to affect Cuban families. It is shameful and criminal to tighten the blockade during COVID-19.”

According to information from the U.S. State Department, the Cuban entities sanctioned are: Financiera Cimex S.A. (Fincimex), three hotels, two diving centers and a marine park.

(Source: Minrex)

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