Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, denounced on Wednesday, during an interview with PBS NewsHour, the tightening of U.S. coercive measures against the island.
Vidal stated that Washington has increased pressure on Cuba through an energy blockade aimed at hindering the country’s fuel supply, as well as through new sanctions against foreign entities and individuals that maintain commercial ties with the Caribbean nation.
In response to these challenges, she highlighted the Cuban government's efforts to increase electricity generation from renewable sources. According to Vidal, Cuba has doubled its energy production capacity in just a few months through accelerated investments in photovoltaic energy.
The deputy foreign minister also rejected recent accusations against Cuba, describing them as illegitimate, illegal, and fraudulent. Referring to the 1996 shootdown of the Brothers to the Rescue aircraft, she stated that Cuba had exhausted all diplomatic avenues to denounce the repeated violations of its airspace.
During the interview, Vidal reiterated that Cuba does not pose a threat to the United States and noted that the only foreign military base on Cuban territory is the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, which, she said, is occupied by the United States against the will of the Cuban people and government.
She also questioned the arguments used to justify new measures against the island and asserted that Washington has never presented evidence demonstrating that Cuba poses a threat to U.S. security. She argued that this claim is being used as a pretext to justify an escalation that has no legitimate basis and serves only to continue punishing Cuba and the Cuban people.
The diplomat stated that hostility has historically characterized bilateral relations and rejected any attempt to impose a political, economic, or social model on Cuba.
"Cubans are deeply proud of our independence and sovereignty," she emphasized.
Watch the full interview at the following link: