Nicosia, Cyprus, February 21. - Cypriot friends and Cubans residing on this Eastern Mediterranean island shared a unique and patriotic day at the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in the capital this Saturday, following the diplomat's presentation of his Letters of Credentials accrediting him as extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to the Cypriot government.
What constituted a moment of shared joy –according to Amba ssador Rubén Pino Martínez– turned into a day of unity and solidarity with Cuba among the attendees, reaffirming the diplomatic mission’s commitment to strengthen its ties and common work with the local Cuban community.
Regarding the meeting, the Cuban ambassador shared with the attendees a message sent from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which had previously been conveyed by the Director General of the Directorate of Consular Affairs and Cubans Resident Abroad, Ana Teresita González Fraga, in connection with the idea of holding a videoconference with Cubans living abroad last Monday, February 9.
The impossibility of carrying it out due to the conditions caused by the energy blockade on the country forced its rescheduling for a later date, but it did not prevent the warm greeting on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cuban government from being shared at this meeting through technology. “We are living through a new offensive of Yankee imperialism against the people, of which you – even though your residences are abroad – are also a part. The homeland is under threat. The executive order of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on January 29, 2026, declares an alleged national emergency, under which his government will be able to impose trade tariffs on imports of products from countries that supply oil to Cuba,” the Director General of the DGACCRE of the Cuban Foreign Ministry stated in her voice message.
“This coercive measure constitutes a deliberate attempt to strangle a dignified people who have decided to be masters of their own destiny (…) By coercing third countries, the United States is not simply seeking to sanction, but to disrupt the very metabolism of a nation,” she noted in her message to Cubans abroad.
The message conveyed to Cuban compatriots shared the denunciation made in the Cuban Government's Declaration, which characterizes the act as blackmail: “it is collective punishment, a violation of international law that uses the lack of food, fuel, and medicine as political weapons to break the will of a people.” “We are experiencing difficult times,” González Fraga clarified, “we have experienced them before as well, and we have overcome them.
We will also overcome this moment with the effort and drive of the majority of Cubans both inside and outside the country. We count on you. We are in the fight. Long live Cuba! Down with the blockade, down with the energy blockade!” concluded his speech.
A day that also joined the protest made by multiple fellow countrymen from different corners of the world, to make their own the denunciation and condemnation of the blockade imposed on the island for more than six decades, as part of the international campaign carried out last weekend. This time, with the effort and committed voice of Cubans, friends, and supporters of the largest of the Antilles, and which, once again from Nicosia, had the approval of the Association of Cuban Residents in Cyprus, represented by its president Pedro Argelio Guevara.
Embassy of Cuba in Cyprus.