Auckland. -In a meeting held in this city, Leima Martínez Freire, director of Asia and Oceania at the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP for its Spanish acronym), held an intense and valuable exchange with members of the Cuba Friendship Society in Auckland, as part of her visit to New Zealand from April 1 to 3, addressing among other topics the impact of the US embargo, relations between Cuba and the United States, and Cuba's position on the situation in Venezuela.
During the meeting, the ICAP officer addressed the current state of relations between Havana and Washington, with special emphasis on the impact of the US blockade on Cuba. On this issue, Leima noted that the new aggressive escalation of the U.S., showed in the recent decision to allow lawsuits filed against Cuban companies under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, constitutes a hostile and irresponsible act that seeks to strengthen the blockade and the economic war against Cuba.
Regarding the situation in Venezuela, Leima restated the call made by ICAP to an international mobilization in defense of the sovereignty, independence and respect for the Venezuelan, where president Nicolás Maduro was elected through a democratic process. She also ratified the firm support of Cuba to the Bolivarian Revolution.
As part of the program for this Visit, it is planned that Leima Martínez also holds an exchange with members of the Cuba Friendship Society in Wellington (Embacuba NZ).