Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez rejected on Monday the position of the High Representative of the European Union (EU), Kaja Kallas, whom he accused of a lack of objectivity and of maintaining a marked “double standard” in her remarks about the island.
The Cuban foreign minister criticized the failure to recognize that the illegal, cruel, and unjust collective punishment imposed by the United States government on the Cuban people is the main cause of the current difficult situation, marked by a tightening of the blockade, an oil embargo, and the threat of military intervention.
Bruno Rodríguez reproached the head of European diplomacy for not expressing concern or support for the numerous European companies and citizens who are threatened and harmed by the US measures, which he described as illegal and clearly extraterritorial in nature.
Likewise, Cuba’s top diplomat defended the transformations that have taken place in Cuba over the last few decades, stating they enjoy broad popular consensus and are strictly part of the nation’s internal affairs.
Bruno Rodríguez’s statement comes after Kallas explained to the European Parliament that the situation in the Caribbean country “is the result of decades of structural economic failures, poor policies, and the impact of ongoing external restrictions and measures.”
The High Representative of the European Union asserted that “a negotiated reform on the island is preferable,” and called on the Havana government to end the alleged “political repression” and “intransigent control of the economy,” also warning that the European bloc does not finance the Cuban state and that humanitarian aid will not resolve the crisis, but will merely alleviate immediate human suffering.
Despite these statements, the Cuban government valued the humanitarian aid offered by the EU and several of its Member States, as well as the contribution to the development of bilateral cooperation under the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement.
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez agreed that this agreement offers multiple avenues for comprehensive dialogue to address differences, and added that Cuba will continue to pursue a relationship with the European Union based on the principles of respect, equality, and reciprocity.
“We hope that the EU’s foreign policy, in the complex circumstances the world is experiencing, where there are attempts to impose the use of force and imperialist domination, will express independence and traditional European and multilateral values, as demanded by its citizens.”
IMAGE CREDIT: Rodríguez reproached the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for not expressing concern or support for the numerous European companies and citizens threatened and harmed by the US measures. Photo: Xinhua.
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
