Cuba's Foreign Minister refutes U.S. claims of "non-punitive measures" against Cuba

Cuba’s foreign minister, Rodríguez, posted on social media on the 30th to strongly refute the U.S. government’s claim that it has “taken no punitive measures” against Cuba. Rodríguez questioned: If an economic blockade is not a punitive measure, then what is? If countries that threaten to export fuel to Cuba are not taking punitive measures, then what are they? What do restrictions on Cuba’s financial transactions with any country, restrictions on merchant ships that have previously called at Cuban ports, and bans on Americans traveling to Cuba amount to? Rodríguez also asked what the use is of selective and arbitrary lists such as the “state sponsors of terrorism” list, and the like. He said that the U.S. has pressured governments in multiple countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to force them to abandon legitimate medical cooperation projects with Cuba, thereby depriving Cuba of lawful income—doesn’t that constitute tangible punitive measures? According to a message on the U.S. State Department’s official website, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio told the media in an interview on the 30th that the United States “has taken no punitive measures against Cuba.” After the victory of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the U.S. government adopted a hostile policy toward Cuba. In 1962, the United States imposed an economic and financial embargo and a trade ban on Cuba. In January 2021, the U.S. placed Cuba on the “state sponsors of terrorism” list. After launching a large-scale military strike against Venezuela earlier this year, the U.S. further increased pressure on Cuba, including by implementing a new round of oil restriction measures. (Xinhua News Agency)