Cypriot aid to Cuba is stuck in Panamá.
10/04/2026 - 08:00
U.S. threats block food, medicine, and medical equipment
By Kostis Pitsilloudis
Humanitarian aid collected in Cyprus for the Cuban people has been stuck in Panama for months, while transport companies face threats and sanctions from the United States.
The complaint was presented by AKEL MP and Political Bureau member Giorgos Koukoumas during a two-day event held at the European Parliament (09/30-10/01) initiated by the Left Group. The two-day event, titled 'Cuba Yes, Blockade No,' examined the political, economic, and humanitarian consequences of U.S. measures.
The first day focused on its impact on the economy, health, and daily life, while the second highlighted initiatives of international solidarity and medical cooperation with Cuba. A central topic was the escalation of the economic and energy blockade against Cuba by the Trump administration, as well as the stance of the European Union, which condemns U.S. extraterritorial sanctions but in practice does not protect companies and organisations trying to deliver aid to the country.
Regulations that remain on paper
Giorgos Koukoumas conveyed AKEL's and the Cypriot left's solidarity with the Cuban people at the meeting, emphasizing that their struggle is about defending the country's sovereignty and independence, as well as its right to follow the social development path it has chosen.
He also recalled that, in 1962, a Cypriot ship went to Cuba under the order of President Makarios, breaking the U.S. blockade. He put special emphasis on the extraterritorial application of U.S. sanctions, which affect European banks, companies, investors, and transportation firms that want to cooperate with Cuba. Although the EU has had the Blocking Statute since 1996, which aims to protect European businesses from third-country extraterritorial sanctions, George Koukoumas complained that European leadership is not taking substantial measures to enforce it. As a typical example, he mentioned humanitarian aid collected in Cyprus, including basic goods for the Cuban people. He pointed out that the aid has been stuck in Panama for months due to U.S. threats to shipping companies. The AKEL member of parliament accused the EU of hypocrisy, pointing out that the invocation of international law is selective, depending on which country is responsible for violating it. He added that their stance changes when their allies and partners are involved, like the United States, Israel, and Turkey.
He also emphasized that the anti-communism of the European right and far-right adds to their attitude toward Cuba. He denounced that the resolutions adopted in the European Parliament attribute the country's economic difficulties to the socialist system, downplaying the consequences of the US blockade.
He sent a message of continued international solidarity with the Cuban people. "Every time Trump says 'Cuba will fall,' millions of people around the world will shout even louder that we are with Cuba and its people, to resist, to win," he concluded.
Energy suffocation at the expense of a people.
For his part, AKEL MEP Giorgos Georgiou called the commercial, economic, and financial blockade that the United States has been implementing against Cuba for 65 years illegal.
He stated that the Trump administration seeks to cause energy suffocation in the country and economically strangle the Cuban people. The consequences, he emphasized, are especially severe for patients, children, and other vulnerable groups, as the lack of fuel affects the operation of hospitals, transportation, and the supply of basic goods.
George Georgiou recalled that this policy continues despite successive UN General Assembly resolutions, in which the vast majority of states call for an end to the blockade. He also denounced that the United States is pressuring other states to limit their relations and cooperation with Cuba, aiming to isolate it from the international community. He linked the aggression against Cuba to the broader policy of the United States, referring to Venezuela, Palestine, Iran, and Lebanon. He argued that, in its effort to maintain global dominance, the United States is undermining the UN and international law while engaging in military incursions, trade wars, and threats against the sovereignty of other states. The AKEL MEP emphasized that the EU’s relations with Cuba should be based on equality and mutual respect, not on pressure and external interventions. "The Cuban people have the right to follow the path of social development they have chosen, to defend themselves against aggression, and to protect their sovereignty," he stressed.
Stuck aid in ports
British MP Jeremy Corbyn referred to the practical consequences of the blockade, highlighting that the Cubans expressed special gratitude even for the small amounts of medical aid that reached the country. At the same time, she emphasized that tonnes of material collected by organizations in Europe, Great Britain, and North America remain stuck in ports of various countries. She added that shipping companies refuse to transport these products because they operate in parallel with the United States and fear facing sanctions. She cited as an example the humanitarian aid from Mexico, which had to be transported on a Mexican Navy ship, since no private company was willing to carry it to Cuba. At the same time, she urged European governments to send the necessary aid and to challenge the blockade in practice. "Let’s not keep being spectators while the rope tightens around the Cuban people," she concluded.
Without energy, health doesn’t work either.
The internal situation of the country was mentioned by Cuban doctor and activist Aleida Guevara, who rejected the attempt to present Cuba as a "failed state." She emphasized that when fuel arrives in the country, basic services will be able to be restored. This fact, she pointed out, shows that the problem is not the absence of state structures but the inability to secure the necessary energy. She also acknowledged that the Cuban government has made mistakes and that the social and economic system needs improvements. However, she stressed that changes must be decided by the Cuban people themselves. "The government is not made up of robots but of men and women. People make mistakes," she said. She added that "no one else has the right to tell us how we will live," pointing out that Cubans do not want to go back to the time when the country functioned as a U.S. colony. She described energy as the most important issue facing Cuba today. Hospitals, schools, research centres, transportation, and food production depend on electricity, while the constant shortages directly affect the daily lives of citizens. He made a special reference to the effects of lockdown on the healthcare system. He recalled that during the pandemic period, Cuba managed to develop its own vaccines but had trouble even getting the needles needed to administer them. He emphasized that Cuba's goal is not to conduct medical research exclusively for its own population but to offer help to other peoples as well. "We want to be useful. We want to help men and women all over the world," he said.
Versión original en griego: Εγκλωβισμένη στον Παναμά η κυπριακή βοήθεια για την Κούβα