The Cuban ambassador to France, Otto Vaillant, has denounced the intensification of the U.S. blockade against the island, an energy embargo that is impacting all of Cuban society, and emphasized the unjust nature of Washington’s aggression.
In an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI), the diplomat stated that the United States has no right to prevent oil from reaching the Caribbean nation and that, to justify its illegal measure, it resorts to lies, portraying Cuba as a threat.
On January 29, President Donald Trump signed an executive order labeling the small Caribbean nation an “unusual and extraordinary” threat to the national security of the world’s leading military and economic power.
Vaillant stated that the energy blockade predates the Trump administration, intensifying a more than 60-year-old embargo and expanding its extraterritorial reach, which has been condemned worldwide.
Regarding the recent arrival of a Russian oil tanker, Cuba’s ambassador to France considered it a relief, but insisted on Cuba’s right to import hydrocarbons without obstacles and without suppliers being threatened by Washington.
According to the ambassador, his country has promoted a shift in its energy matrix in recent years, focusing on solar photovoltaic power.
He also emphasized that the main problems facing Cuba stem from the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial embargo and its intensification under the Trump administration.
However, the ambassador to Paris reiterated that Cuba is willing to engage in dialogue with its neighbor on issues affecting the bilateral relationship, but without negotiating its sovereignty, its independence, and its political system.
In the event of an attack against the island, Vaillant stated on RFI that Cuba is not seeking war, but would defend itself if it were to occur, adding that the worst possible scenario would be to see bombs falling on a charming, resilient and fighting people.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
