Italian parliamentarians have demanded greater official support for Cuba in the face of growing threats from the United States, including a tightening of the economic blockade, which violates international norms and human rights, according to a statement released in Rome.
A statement published by the Parliamentary Alliance of the Green Europe and Italian Left (AVS) parties criticizes the government’s “impassive” stance on this issue, as expressed by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani when he addressed the Chamber of Deputies yesterday regarding Washington’s economic strangulation of the island.
Nicola Fratoianni, leader of the Italian Left, criticized Tajani because “once again, he has sided with those who undermine international law,” arguing that in his view the Cuban situation “is unsustainable, reforms cannot be postponed,” without pointing to the US blockade` as the main cause of these problems.
This position, Fratoianni pointed out, is that of those who “remain unmoved by a humanitarian tragedy unfolding for the Cuban people, caused by the economic strangulation of the embargo and the threats from the United States for 66 years, which flagrantly violate international law.”
“He is telling us right now that our country supports Donald Trump’s latest illegal action to provoke change in Cuba through illicit pressure, because this is the declared objective of the President of the United States,” the opposition leader said.
“We are facing an extraordinary situation for Cuba and its people, a country that has withstood more than sixty years of economic blockade and that, even within that blockade, has found ways to launch solidarity initiatives with our country,” he noted.
He was referring to the Cuban medical brigades that supported Italy during the Covid-19 pandemic and that are currently providing services in the southern region of Calabria.
In his presentation to the members of parliament, the minister argued that Cuba remains a priority country for Italian development cooperation, with 28 initiatives underway worth approximately 45 million euros.
“We are present in essential sectors such as sustainable agriculture and food security. Our commitment to Cuba is part of the government’s priority for Latin America,” Tajani asserted, explaining the support for the economic development of the Caribbean nation.
However, AVS lawmakers questioned the official Italian political stance regarding the current US maneuvers, including Trump’s recent executive order to block fuel shipments to the US and even the threat of a possible military intervention.
Given these actions, which “flagrantly violate international law, he could at least have had the courage to call Washington and ask them to stop; he isn’t even capable of doing that,” Fratoianni told Tajani in the Chamber of Deputies, the source added.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
