Cuba. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez took the XXVIII. Ibero-American Summit that took place in the Dominican Republic on March 24th and 25th and was attended by leaders from 22 countries.
In his speech, Diaz-Canel asked to move towards a more equitable, supportive and sustainable region, a necessary path to change the current unfair, irrational and exclusive international order.
He stressed the devastation caused by the Covid years, which have seen a multidimensional health, climate, energy, food, economic and financial crisis affecting everyone and especially the developing world.
“In 2021, 828 million people were suffering from hunger, 46 million more than in 2020 and 150 million more than in 2019. The World Bank estimates that there will be between 75 and 95 million more people living in extreme poverty by the end of 2022,” he specifies.
He reiterated Cuba’s commitment to the presidency of the Group of 77 plus China, where cooperation and solidarity in the service of development must prevail, and expressed Cuba’s satisfaction as the venue for the XXIV Conference of Ibero-American Water Directors to be held in November 2023.
One issue that drew attention was the US government’s blockade policy on Cuba, which escalated again in 2019 with the aim of sowing discouragement and discontent in order to stall the economy.
As an example, he cited the recent events at the Baseball Classic, the game between Cuba and the United States in Miami, where a shameful spectacle was staged with the complicity of the city’s political authorities.
Diaz Canel Bermúdez criticized the inclusion and continued existence of Cuba on the list of countries that support terrorism by the United States, an action that is unjustified and without any justification.
He thanked the Ibero-American countries for their statements against the US blockade and for calling for Cuba to be excluded from the list of countries that support terrorism.
He reiterated CELAC’s proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace and solidarity with Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia, which are facing Washington’s attempts at destabilization.
He supported Argentina’s legitimate right to the Malvinas, South Sandwich and South Georgia Islands and the surrounding marine areas. He also spoke about Puerto Rico’s self-determination and independence and commitment to the peace process in Colombia and the Haitian people, to whom he expressed his solidarity.
In conclusion, the Cuban President thanked the Dominican Republic for the results achieved in the leadership of the Ibero-American community and wished success to Ecuador, the host of the next Ibero-American Summit in 2024.
He reaffirmed Cuba’s position in seeking to consolidate a more just, united and sustainable world, towards the development and prosperity of our peoples.
Source: Central American and Caribbean Digital Newspaper