HAVANA, Cuba, May 17 (ACN) Cuban deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío reiterated today that the easing by the current U.S. government of some measures adopted under the Trump administration does not alleviate, much less eliminate, the blockade of Cuba, nor does it remove Cuba from the list of countries that promote terrorism.
The official said, in reference to the scope of Joe Biden’s decisions, announced on Monday, that U.S. citizens are bound by the travel ban and can only travel to Cuba in groups and under license and recalled that Cuba cannot buy any product, equipment or technology having 10% or more of U.S. components and remains unable to use the U.S. dollar in its commercial and financial operations.
He described the measures as positive but insufficient, given that the U.S. Cuba policy has not changed: subversion against the Revolution, actions to foster disunity and hatred among the Cubans and fuel social unrest based on the current shortages, which are largely caused by the U.S. blockade, still continue.
“The Biden administration said that these measures are intended to help the Cuban people, and yet all those they have taken so far have harmed the Cubans,” he added, in clear reference to the intensification of the criminal policy, even in the midst of the pandemic.
Fernández de Cossío went into great detail about the contradictions and limitations of the measures for Cuba, now made more flexible by the Biden administration, in terms of family ties, visas, regular migration, and flights to other Cuban provinces, as well as in matters related to remittances and changes to the regulations for transactions with the non-state sector.