Dublin, November 5, 2019. Cuba's ambassador to Ireland, Hugo Ramos Milanés appeared last night before the group of senators, deputies and officials of the Sinn Féin party.
Following the welcome remarks by Mary Lou McDonald, Party President, who recalled the success of President Miguel Díaz-Canel's recent visit and the opportunity that several Party leaders had to meet him, Deputy Sean Crowe, spokesperson for international affairs, provided complementary details to those offered by the Party President, about relations between Ireland and Cuba and between Sinn Féin and Cuba.
The Cuban ambassador for his part thanked the invitation and also recalled that on October 29, both countries celebrated the 20th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, although the ties between the two peoples have a much more extensive history and there are many episodes that join Cuba and Irish peoples. He pointed out that President Díaz-Canel recalled several of them at various times during his visit, both in his statements and in messages written in visitor books.
Both countries share common aspirations to develop business ties and cooperation. Both of us must strive to identify new areas and opportunities for cooperation in fields such as agriculture, food production, biotechnology, health, higher education, tourism, renewable energy and investments.
The Cuban representative reaffirmed that Sinn Féin and the Cuban Revolution treasure a rich history of fraternal relations and solidarity and on such an occasion we could not fail to mention the permanent solidarity to end the economic blockade against Cuba and recalled the multiple parliamentary initiatives which, along with other Irish friends, have been promoted.
He stressed that this solidarity is particularly important at the present time, when the Trump administration has been committed to intensifying that blockade to unimaginable and unprecedented limits, undertaking with the implementation of Title III of the Helms Burton Act new actions aimed at internationalizing the blockade, intimidate and sanction other States and foreign companies that do business with Cuba, including European companies, with economic damage to Cuba that exceeds 4,300 million dollars, just between April 2018 and March 2019.
The Cuban ambassador stressed that precisely on November 6 the process of discussion of the draft resolution presented by Cuba would begin at the General Assembly of the United Nations and that it requires the lifting of the blockade, described as a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of humans rights of all Cubans, which he classifies as an act of genocide.
He also denounced the brutal pressures that the US government exerts on Latin American states and surely in other regions to force them to change their voting pattern. He stressed that in almost three decades of this exercise the voting pattern is already historic and irreversible and reflects a virtually unanimous rejection of the international community to the blockade, the isolation of that policy and its defeat.
Ramos Milanés told those present that together with this international battle against the blockade, Cuba conducted a great economic battle and internal transformations to ensure the sustainability of our socialism and was able to review some of the most important tasks in which government and people are engaged.
The occasion was also conducive to an exchange of views on the situation in Latin America, where it was agreed to appreciate the victories of progressive and anti-neoliberal forces such as in Mexico, Argentina and Bolivia and the popular action of millions of people in various capitals of the continent, depleted of so much impoverishment and inequalities, shows the maturity of these progressive forces, and of the social movements and organizations, and although an arduous struggle remains ahead, the march of the peoples is unstoppable when they move forward united by their redemption.
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