EFE (via 14ymedio), Madrid/Miami, April 3, 2024 — The U.S. Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian A. Nichols, said on Tuesday that he believes Cuba is at “a key moment” and that there are reasons for hope because “people are protesting bravely in the streets.” During an official visit to Spain, Nichols stated, “Cubans are expressing themselves in favor of profound changes in the country despite the fact that the government continues to respond with repression.”
He described what he believes is a “key moment” for the island nation. “[Cuba] needs light, food and jobs, and the solution is democracy,” he stated. “People are demonstrating by protesting in the streets and making brave statements despite the fact that there are more than a thousand political prisoners in Cuban jails.”
“People are demonstrating by protesting in the streets and making brave statements despite the fact that there are more than a thousand political prisoners in Cuban jails”
Similarly, he highlighted the important contributions small businesses and entrepreneurs are making to the Cuban economy, “providing people with what the government cannot give them.”
“We have reasons for hope and we will continue to support these businesses, which provide Cubans with jobs, supplies and food,” the American diplomat said.
Meanwhile, a group of Cuban exiles in Miami called upon the international community to cut off financing to the Cuban regime, one of the main pillars of support that has allowed it to survive for sixty-five years. In a forum entitled “What Can We Do for the People of Cuba?” more than a dozen exiled government opponents agreed on the urgency for the international community, especially the twenty-seven countries of the European Union and Canada, to end subsidies to the Cuban government.
“It is essential that we join together to end the subsidies from these democracies,” said Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, c