Dear President of the United States, Mr. Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.
SUBJECT: An appeal for solidarity and assistance to the Cuban people
Initially, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Igor Jurišič, president of the Slovenian-Cuban Friendship Association.
I am pleased to inform you that I gladly followed all the positive moves in the thaw in US-Cuba relations when the US was led by its 44th President Barack Hussein Obama II.
In order to improve relations between the United States and Cuba, I also attended a meeting in Washington in June 2014, where we gathered from many countries to encourage the thawing of relations between the two countries.
The next steps of the 44th President of the United States were historic, as the two countries re-established embassies, followed by other positive moves.
Unfortunately, the US has experienced a period that will be remembered by many generations. The country's leadership was taken over by the 45th President of the United States, Donald John Trump, whose administration brought about a significant setback in international relations; from the withdrawal from the WHO, to the deterioration of relations with Cuba, including the repeal of certain measures of the previous president, which led in a positive direction to the thaw in relations between the two countries.
The US economic blockade is one of the major obstacles to Cuba's development, as it means not only a ban on imports of products from the US, but also all other products that contain parts or patents from the US. This economic blockade, which has lasted for more than half a century, is depleting the Cuban economy, and the consequences are being felt primarily by its citizens.
At the start of the pandemic, Cuba, despite the unenviable situation, helped many countries fight COVID-19, including Italy - one of the closest US allies in Europe, where medical personnel were sent to help patients with COVID-19.
Unfortunately, Cuba has suffered additional economic damage due to the duration of the pandemic, as tourism revenues have almost completely fallen, leaving it in an unenviable situation, with some basic foodstuffs and medicines running out.
I also visited Cuba in the grip of the epidemic in February this year and felt solidarity among the people and the desire to win the epidemic in which they were forced to develop their own vaccines, as vaccines from the US should not be imported or donated as a result of Cuba's economic blockade.
As in the United States, Europe, and many other countries, the proverbial peaceful Cubans have become nervous about the pandemic and have come to the streets to express dissatisfaction with the situation; one directed against the United States because of the economic blockade, and the other against the country's own leadership, which in these circumstances cannot meet all the needs of the population.
At the same time, I would like to emphasize that supporting or even encouraging protesters does not lead to a solution, but only to aggravating the already difficult situation in Cuba.
Therefore, I ask you to break the economic blockade and thus help the Cuban people, rather than supporting opponents and encouraging violent protests, even though they are not comparable in number and brutality to those in the United States at the time of your election. Blocking the development of the Cuban economy and society with an embargo on the one hand and supporting protesters who are driven to the streets by the lack of an economic blockade is not worth your position or your integrity.
Let me remind you that the UN General Assembly calls for a US to end Cuba embargo for 30 years and that this resolution was supported by 184 countries this year, 3 abstained and only 2 (of which one was the US) voted against.
In addition, let me remind you that many congressmen and senators understand the economic blockade as an unethical and senseless measure, and similarly, as over 97% of the world's countries are calling for an end to the economic blockade of Cuba.
Therefore, Mr. President of the United States, Mr. Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. I kindly ask you to continue in the direction outlined by the 44th President of the United States, Mr. Obama lifts Cuba's economic blockade again this year and concludes an agreement with Cuba on (at least partial) compensation for the damage caused by the US economic blockade, which amounted to at least 144 billion USD until last year, and not in the direction led by the 45th president USA Mr. Trump.
With respect,
Igor Jurišič, president of the Slovenian-Cuban Friendship Association.
(EmbaCuba Austria/Cubaminrex)