Nicosia, Cyprus, September 25, 2026. - The chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign and European Affairs of the House of Representatives of Cyprus, Mr. George Karoullas, received this Thursday at the Cypriot Parliament the Honorable Mr. Rubén Pino Martínez, ambassador of the Republic of Cuba accredited to this capital.
During his courtesy visit, Pino Martínez took the opportunity to personally congratulate him on his appointment as head of the aforementioned House of Representatives committee of Cyprus, while also emphasizing his availability and commitment to advancing the strengthening of inter-parliamentary and bilateral relations between both countries, stressing a closer interinstitutional approach adjusted to the new circumstances facing the Caribbean island.
By the way, the diplomat gave him a thorough update on the difficult economic situation Cuba is going through as a result of the blockade policy imposed by the U.S. for nearly seventy years and its current energy squeeze, which worsens the most basic living conditions of the Cuban people from the end of last January up to now.
During the exchange, he also emphasized that Cuba does not pose a threat to the security and stability of the U.S. or any nation and warned him about the marked attempts from Washington to create conflicts, dissatisfaction, and internal destabilization on the island, aiming to use this as a pretext to "justify" a possible military action against the Caribbean nation.
He was able to tell him about the main elements of the report that Cuba will present to the United Nations General Assembly on October 27 and 28 regarding the economic, commercial, and financial damages caused by the U.S. blockade over the past year, which exceed 8.083 billion dollars and effectively constitute a collective punishment for the entire nation, and that “hits hard” in all areas of daily life.
During this, his second official visit to the House of Representatives, which continues previous chapters of bilateral parliamentary work, the Cuban diplomat expressed his deep gratitude for the warm welcome received within the context of an already historic relationship of solidarity between the two nations—for more than 65 years—which is an encouragement to continue developing ties between the countries at a parliamentary level.
For his part, George Karoullas pointed out that Cyprus and Cuba share numerous realities and common issues, confirming Cyprus' support in the face of the unjust situation that the Caribbean island is experiencing as a victim of the U.S. blockade; at the same time, he showed a strong interest in exploring the ways and methods the Cuban government is using to deal with this reality, which has lasted for six decades.
Among the concrete steps to strengthen broader bilateral cooperation—not just economic and commercial, but also social—Mr. Karoullas welcomed the proposal shared with the Cuban ambassador to jointly organize a real-time videoconference, aiming to set new challenges and common projects for both parliaments.
Embassy of Cuba in Cyprus