Madam Vice-President:
A dictatorship has emerged in the globalized world. The order born out of World War II to prevent a third world war is being destroyed, and the philosophy of dispossession is being proclaimed as the exceptional and supreme right of the #UnitedStates of America to conquest and the use of force as an immanent, natural, and everyday way of being. Beyond ideologies, all nation states are in danger, regardless of their cultural or political models.
The world's largest reserve of hydrocarbons, Venezuela, was viciously attacked. What will happen to the deposits of critical minerals and rare earths, to water reserves, the Amazon, the seabed, the Arctic and Antarctica, the occupation of supposedly strategic enclaves, interoceanic passages, and trade routes? Weakness and opportunism encourage conquest. What would freedom of trade and navigation look like with the use of tariffs as an instrument of aggression and the extraterritorial application of U.S. laws and court jurisdiction?
The executive order issued on January 29 by the President of the United States declares collective punishment of the Cuban people and aims to create a humanitarian catastrophe through an energy blockade.
Can a great power be allowed to attempt to destroy a small, peaceful nation, provoke a humanitarian tragedy, destroy its national culture, and subject a noble and supportive people to genocide under the crude pretext of national security? The Cuban people will defend with the utmost vigor and courage, in close unity and broad consensus, their right to self-determination, independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and constitutional order.
We will do so with the support of Cubans living in other parts of the world. We will prevent a humanitarian crisis in Cuba, even though we will endure hardship and suffering. We are a conscious, educated, and courageous people, with highly qualified human resources and powerful and universal systems of education, health, and science.
We have arable land, water, mineral reserves, infrastructure, we produce almost half of the crude oil we consume, we have refining capacity, and we are making significant and efficient investments in solar energy. With suffering, three generations of Cubans have overcome the US blockade for more than 60 years. We have shown solidarity with everyone, especially with the nations of the South.
Even in the worst-case scenario, we will persevere. We will find creative solutions. In the face of all difficulties, we will mitigate humanitarian damage.
We will show solidarity. We will also be open to dialogue with the United States based on sovereign equality and international law, mutual respect, and mutual benefit, without preconditions or interference in internal affairs, with the aim of achieving a civilized relationship within our differences and even promoting cooperation in areas where possible. Our commitment to the defense and promotion of all human rights for all human beings is strengthened.
We will continue to defend the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the integrity of migrants. We admire the people of Minnesota for their community resistance. We will oppose double standards and political manipulation.
On the centenary of the birth of the Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, our determination to defend the nation is absolute and our decision to safeguard a society focused on achieving full human dignity and the broadest justice is irrevocable.
Thank you very much.