Exclusive JR interview with Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, director of the General Directorate of Consular Affairs and Cubans Residing Abroad of the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
With six years of experience at the head of the General Directorate of Consular Affairs and Cubans Residing Abroad (Daccre) of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán spoke with JR to update on various points related to Cubans living abroad after almost two years of the coronavirus pandemic.
Soberón Guzmán has served as director general of Daccre since 2015 and previously held other diplomatic responsibilities, including ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas (2011-2015).
-How have relations with Cubans living abroad been during these two years of pandemic? Was COVID-19 an impediment to strengthen them?
-The international incidence of the current pandemic has prevented the traditional functioning, meaning face-to-face, in terms of social activities in most of the countries of the world, an issue to which the Associations of Cubans Living Abroad do not escape.
"However, this has led to the digital environment gaining preponderance as an irreplaceable scenario for the realization of meetings, exchanges and actions in favor of Cuba and our people. The platforms of
virtual meeting platforms and the social networks Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have become a space where our fellow countrymen, together with our
conationals, in conjunction with our consulates and Cuban institutions, develop initiatives aimed at nationals abroad and their descendants.
"The most recent example, was the 1st Virtual Cultural Festival Cuba goes with me, in which 88 Cuban artists based in 15 countries participated, and the first edition of the contest of the same name aimed at Cuban children and adolescents and descendants abroad.
"During the last two years there have been two regional virtual meetings of Cubans living in Europe, nearly twenty meetings of Cuban nationals in Italy, France, Croatia, Germany, Turkey, Kazakhstan, United Kingdom, Denmark, Canada, China, Panama, Haiti, Belize, Brazil and Mozambique.
"In recognition of the work of Cuban doctors, inside and outside the Island, the conationals based in other countries and the Associations of Cuban Residents Abroad have carried out more than a hundred actions, statements and publications denying and condemning the media campaign against our doctors and in support of the nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize to the Henry Reeve Medical Brigade.
"A large part of our fellow countrymen abroad favor a constructive relationship with Cuba and oppose the inclusion of our country in the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the tightening of the blockade and the campaign of hatred, media manipulation, incitements to violence and terrorist calls for military interventions on the Island.
"On the other hand, during this stage, the possibility was established for Cubans residing in the national territory to return to the country with their expired passport and without extending it. In addition, the automatic and cost-free extension of uninterrupted stay abroad beyond the established 24 months remains in force, as well as the condition of residents in Cuba."
-How have the more than 240 measures adopted by the previous administration of Donald Trump and now continued, and even expanded, by Joe Biden's administration affected our fellow citizens living abroad?
-The absence of changes in Cuba policy by the current U.S. administration, despite pre-election promises, has not only contributed to deepening the effects of the measures adopted by Trump, but has also constituted an opportunity for advocates of an aggressive U.S. policy against our country, while hindering the nation's ties with residents abroad.
"The persistence of the U.S. policy of blockade, and the measures adopted by successive Washington administrations for its recrudescence, attempt against all Cubans regardless of where they reside. Among these I can cite the effects suffered directly by Cuban families on the island; the refusal of banks to allow Cuban nationals in third countries to carry out financial transactions or collect funds to support Cuba; obstacles to the ties of Cuban families, and they impede the full socio-economic development of the country.
"The restrictions on remittances, and the current government's reading of this issue, are an unjustified attack on the official channels that have functioned for many years for the processing of transactions. Remittances are a family and humanitarian issue, not a political issue. Cuban families have the right to receive remittances without politicization or manipulation of this issue, and even more so in the current pandemic conditions.
"On the migratory plane, the arbitrary and unjustified closing of consular services in Cuba, forcing our nationals to travel to third countries without any guarantee of visa granting and the elimination of flights to the provinces, except Havana, together with other actions, affect the right of Cubans to travel, and even, to emigrate, hindering the regular, orderly and safe migratory flow between Cuba and the United States.
"In response to this hostile and obsolete policy against Cuba, an important number of our nationals and supportive friends abroad have been leading international days since March of this year to demand the lifting of the economic, commercial and financial blockade, which take place the last weekend of every month.
"The vast majority of Cubans favor a constructive relationship with their country of origin, the improvement of relations between Cuba and the United States, the expansion of economic ties between both nations and unrestricted travel by Americans to the island, in addition to recognizing the blockade as a failed policy."
-What is your opinion on the support given by our nationals living in different countries to help counteract the coronavirus pandemic and the blockade that has been affecting Cuba and our people for the past 60 years?
-During these almost two years of the pandemic, the measures of economic, commercial and financial asphyxiation against our country have intensified. Because of these restrictions imposed by the U.S. blockade, Cuba has been extremely hindered in acquiring medical supplies and materials that are essential in the fight against and immunization of the people against COVID-19.
"In view of this situation, international aid and donations have been received from governments, foreign companies, solidarity associations, Cubans living abroad and other friends, in order to support the Cuban health system in the fight against the pandemic.
"Our nationals, in their personal capacity, and the associations of Cubans living abroad as part of initiatives in several continents, and in conjunction with friends in solidarity, have sent donations from 34 countries, which has allowed the arrival in Cuba of more than ten million syringes and needles to support vaccination and other supplies, medicines and equipment for the detection of the
COVID-19, the protection of health personnel and our population, the treatment of patients in different hospitals, and support for the study and development of Cuban vaccine candidates.
"We take advantage of this space to reiterate that for the expeditious sending of aid, it is necessary, in the first place, the transfer of information on the aid to be sent, through our embassies and consulates, which are in a position to support in all the coordinations. In the case of individuals, they can also rely on solidarity associations and associations of Cubans living abroad that contribute to consolidate different initiatives in a single shipment, which sometimes facilitates the transfer and lowers costs.
"In addition to the above actions, there are also caravans, demonstrations, declarations and petitions made by Cuban nationals abroad, demanding an end to the blockade and other measures that directly affect their families. The people and the Government of the Island deeply thank and acknowledge the Cubans living abroad and friends from different parts of the world, who during the pandemic have supported Cuba and have reiterated the call to eliminate the measures related to the blockade".
-What actions have been agreed upon in recent years to improve relations with Cubans living abroad?
-The updating of Cuba's migratory policy has been aimed at strengthening the ties between Cuba and its residents abroad as part of a continuous and irreversible process. It is enough to review the migratory measures adopted during these last 43 years by our Government, starting with the Dialogue of '78, to realize that they have been aimed at facilitating travel, in one direction or another, and strengthening communication in accordance with the conditions and possibilities of each moment.
"More recently, as part of the Cuban Government's commitment to attend to the community abroad during the pandemic, various actions have been developed, such as: the follow-up and assistance to our citizens who fell ill with COVID-19; the organization of charter flights for the return to the national territory of Cubans who were in other countries.
"In that way, more than 5 700 citizens stranded in 56 countries returned, in more than 90 flights since March 21, 2020; the possibility for residents in Cuba to return with their expired passport and without extending it; the automatic and cost-free extension of the stay abroad for a term longer than the established 24 months. In addition, maximum use has been made of the facilities provided by the new information and communication technologies to assist residents abroad".
-The Cuban government has approved several regulations to promote foreign investment. What possibilities are open for Cuban emigrants to invest in Cuba and what are the requirements to be met?
-Cuba continues building the continuous and irreversible process of rapprochement between the country and its nationals abroad, initiated by our Commander in Chief with the Dialogue of '78. In this regard, in recent years, academic, scientific, cultural and sports exchanges between Cuban citizens living in other countries, including the United States, and Cuban institutions have been promoted and increased, as part of the Government's will to strengthen and diversify those links, as well as to promote their participation in the development of various spheres of the country.
"The current transformations to boost and energize the Cuban economy open new spaces for the participation of Cubans abroad in the processes of socio-economic development. According to current regulations, Cuban nationals living abroad can insert themselves through investments, businesses, collaboration and local development projects.
"In that sense, today we are working on the identification of business and foreign investment proposals, including those with discrete amounts, so as to facilitate the possibility of contributing to the development of the country from the local level, if that is the preference. Cuban legislation applies equally to investors from all countries, without establishing discriminatory criteria. However, in the face of this spectrum of projects and possibilities, the blockade constitutes the main obstacle for investors, including national and foreign
for investors, including nationals, to become involved in development projects.
"From the approval of the new provisions concerning labor and non-state economic forms of production, Decree-Law 46 establishes the creation and operation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), conceived as part of the productive chain and to stimulate and energize the participation of domestic economic actors in economic development, while constituting a new opportunity for our nationals who, being abroad, reside permanently in the national territory.
"Due to the importance of the topic, the Business Forum is conceived with the participation of Cubans living abroad with business and investment interests in the Island, as part of the 2nd edition of the Cuba 2021 Business Forum, to be held from November 29 to December 2 in virtual format, which will contribute to advance the strengthening of ties between Cubans living in other countries and the nation."
-In how many countries are there associations of Cubans living abroad and how many have repatriated in recent years?
-There are currently 166 such organizations in 79 countries, which support Cuba in its main international claims. In the last few years, around 72,000 Cuban citizens have reestablished their residence in the national territory, which is another sign of the existing ties.
-Three meetings of The Nation and Emigration have been held in Cuba. Is there a date foreseen for the 4th Conference?
-The postponement of the 4th Nation and Emigration Conference was due to the international epidemiological situation caused by the pandemic, from which Cuba is not exempt. However, we reiterate the willingness of our Government to hold the Conference once the necessary conditions exist in order to strengthen those ties, to promote a broader and more fruitful exchange and to work together for the independence, development and welfare of the Homeland. The path on which we have been betting since 1978 is a greater relationship between our nationals abroad and their Homeland.