ABU DHABI, 4th June, 2020 - The United Arab Emirates sent a donation to Cuba consisting of eight tons of medical supplies with the aim of contributing to the country's efforts to confront COVID-19.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states its strong rejection of the slanderous inclusion of Cuba in a US State Department list of countries which are allegedly not cooperating fully with US efforts against terrorism that was made public on May 13, 2020 and that was strongly rejected by President Miguel Díaz-Canel. Bermúdez.
It is a unilateral and arbitrary listing without any base, authority or international support whatsoever which, as it is known, only aids to the intentions to defame and pressure countries refusing to bend to the will of the US government in their sovereign decisions.
The economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba approximately 60 years ago constitutes the main obstacle to the development of the country and to the full enjoyment of all the human rights of the Cuban people. The laws and regulation sustaining the blockade policy and kept in force and they are applied with strict rigor by US government agencies including the Department of the Treasury and Commerce and in particular the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Currently, while the Cuban medical collaboration actively participates in solidarity around the world to help combat Covid-19, the insane blockade that the United States imposes on our country is increasingly intensifying.
The United States government has the responsibility to protect and guarantee the security of our Embassy and the Cuban personnel who work there. We express our firm solidarity with the collective of the Cuban state mission in Washington, aware that they will know how to defend our dignity at any cost. We demand that the government of the United States clarify this aggression and take the appropriate measures so that events of this type do not occur again.
Collective of EmbaCuba United Arab Emirates
In the early hours of today, Thursday, April 30, 2020, an unknown individual shot with a firearm at the building of the Cuban Embassy in the United States. There was no damage to the mission's personnel, who are safe and protected, but there was material damage to the building resulting from the impact of the shooting.
The Cuban government awaits the corresponding investigation by the US authorities on the identity and motivations of the author of this aggression, as well as on the circumstances surrounding the act. The State Department is aware of what happened.