Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Wednesday, December 14, recognized ” very discreet progress in terms of cooperation with the United States, particularly in the area of migration, despite the persistence of the American embargo against the island.
” We have made very discreet progress aimed at putting bilateral cooperation on the path to the execution of migration agreements and also in other priority areas between the two countries. “, declared Mr. Diaz-Canel during the presentation of his report in front of the Parliament. But the ” fundamental and defining feature of our bilateral relationship remains the economic embargo “, in force since 1962, recalled the Cuban president.
Washington and Havana resumed discussions in 2022 concerning the theme of migration against a background of record emigration of Cubans, particularly to the United States. The US Embassy in Havana is due to resume issuing visas as normal in January after nearly a five-year hiatus. The service was relaunched in May, but on a limited basis.
Recibí a delegación del Congreso de EEUU chaired by James McGovern. Abordamos nuestras diferencias y temas de interés común. The voluntary agreement to improve the bilateral relations was ratified. Expressed the necessity of poner fin a medidas que dañan a la población cubana. pic.twitter.com/qNWbxvJwCd
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) December 10, 2022
In 2022, the United States also issued 20,000 visas to Cubansaccording to agreements made between the two countries in 1994, but remained a dead letter in recent years under the presidency of Donald Trump.
The Cuban president on Wednesday highlighted the technical assistance provided by the United States in August during the vast fire that ravaged a fuel depot in Matanzas (center) and the two million dollars in aid offered by Washington after the passage of hurricane ian which had devastated part of the island in September. ” This assistance was offered without conditions “, underlined the Cuban president.
2022, “ a particularly complicated year »
He, however, accused Washington of promoting ” openly a policy of subversion » and « destabilization attempts ” from his country. The administration of Democratic President Joe Biden has maintained the 243 coercive measures adopted against Cuba by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump (2017-2021), in a policy of ” max pressure against the island, denounced the head of state.
The Cuban president also acknowledged that 2022 was ” a particularly complicated year for the island because of the American embargo, the international crisis and ” our own inadequacy and mistakes “. ” I feel enormous dissatisfaction for not having been able to obtain as the head of the country the results that the Cuban people need to achieve the long-awaited and hoped-for prosperity. “, he declared, self-critical.
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Mr Diaz-Canel said he hopes 2023 will be “ a better year “. ” But getting there requires more than a comprehensive plan, it requires shaking off inertia, banishing bureaucracy, breaking down barriers and overcoming complacency. “, he added.
(With AFP)