HAVANA, Cuba, May 13 (ACN) Cuban FM Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla denounced today on Twitter that by excluding the island from the Summit of the Americas, Washington is eliminating the possibility of discussing important issues on the bilateral and regional relationship, such as migration.
Rodriguez Parrilla described the event to be held in Los Angeles as limited and exclusive, and stressed that the U.S. government is subjecting itself to pressure from extreme sectors.
The United States, host of the 9th Summit of the Americas, decided to deny Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua participation in the event, scheduled to be held between June 8 and 10.
The topics to be discussed at the forum include health, migration and democracy and human rights.
In recent statements to the national and foreign press, the head of Cuban diplomacy stressed that in health, a so-called plan of action on health and resilience of the Americas until 2030, which does not correspond to the real needs of the people, is currently being negotiated in a non-transparent manner.
Meanwhile, Cuba, in a modest but altruistic and persistent manner, has provided its cooperation in health matters, recognized on a worldwide level; Cuban brigades have attended to health emergencies, epidemics and natural disasters in more than 50 countries, as well as vaccines against COVID-19, he stressed.
On the issue of migration, Cuban diplomat expressed that a letter of understanding on migration management and protection of migrants is also being negotiated behind the public’s back, which aims to repress migration and force Latin American states to absorb the migrants that the United States rejects.
He added that regarding Cuba, the behavior of the United States has been to cut off regular and safe migration channels, restrict flights and limit the travel of Cubans, since it fails to comply with its legal obligation to grant a minimum of 20,000 visas annually and forces its citizens to travel to Guyana for these procedures.
Rodriguez Parrilla pointed out that a third issue to be dealt with at the Summit is that of democracy and human rights, and the United States intends to set itself up as a model for the defense of these matters in the region, even when the economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba results in a massive violation of human rights.
In view of Washington’s refusal to invite Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, several government representatives of the region have announced their non-participation if the decision is maintained.
This is the case of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico; Xiomara Castro of Honduras and Luis Arce of Bolivia; and also the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
