Cuba on Wednesday welcomed the 10 diplomats expelled from the Dominican Republic, in a ceremony where Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal warned that the measure is a response to Washington’s escalating efforts to isolate the island.
“The Dominican authorities have not been able to present a single reason to justify such a decision, because none exists. It has become clear, therefore, that they have done nothing more than yield to the pressures of the U.S. government,” Vidal stated at the ceremony held at the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
The Deputy Foreign Minister emphasized that the measure is part of Washington’s aggressive escalation, which, in its “desperate attempt to isolate our country, seeks to eliminate solidarity with this besieged, blockaded, and harassed island, and damage Cuba’s ties with the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Vidal stressed that the Dominican government is well aware of the value and professionalism of Cuban diplomats, “who have always acted in strict adherence to the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and to the laws and regulations of that country.”
She specified that the decision was made at a time when Cuba, the world, and friends in the Dominican Republic have been celebrating the centennial of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, who, during his studies at the University of Havana, was president of the Association of Solidarity with Cuba.
“There are governments that succumb to the designs of empire and renounce their own national interests, but we know the resilience of our people and we trust that they, as always, will know how to wage the battles for justice, peace, dignity, solidarity, and brotherhood,” Vidal stated.
For his part, Vice Consul Odin Ysla Hernández, representing the expelled officials, stated that the notification from the Dominican Foreign Ministry arrived just 48 hours before the centennial of Fidel Castro’s birth, and he called the decision “unjustified.”
The diplomat recalled that on August 13, a political-cultural gala dedicated to the life and example of the Cuban leader was held in the main auditorium of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, with the attendance of more than 1,100 friends of Cuba representing the Dominican people.
“How proud we are to be women and men of Fidel. Those of us who raise the flag of Cuba in honor of every achievement and effort of our athletes,” he affirmed, referring to the third-place finish of the Cuban delegation at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games held in Santo Domingo.
After learning of the decision, the Cuban Foreign Ministry recalled in a statement released on August 13 that this is not the first time the Dominican government has aligned itself with the hostile policy and aggressive escalation of the United States against the island.
As evidence of this stance, it cited Cuba’s exclusion from the postponed 10th Summit of the Americas and the Dominican Republic’s change of vote on the Cuban resolution against the blockade in the UN General Assembly.
IMAGE CREDIT: Photos: PL/ Endrys Correa Vaillant
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
