"An Island on a Continent"

Declaration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba

On May 28, the Government of the United States finally announced a group of measures aimed at implementing the policy announced on May 16, 2022.  The purpose of this step, according to the text published by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), is to support the private sector in Cuba.

These measures are limited in scope and do not target the essence of the blockade against Cuba nor the additional sanctions that make up the maximum pressure policy.  Once again, this US government decision relies on its own distorted view of the Cuban reality, for it intends to artificially separate the private sector from the public sector, when they are both part of Cuba’s entrepreneurial system and the Cuban society as a whole.

With this announcement, the US government intends to address only one sector of our population. The coercive measure that most affect Cuba’s economy and public services and severely harm the wellbeing of our population are neither eradicated nor modified.

If these measures are implemented, the United States would seek to give advantage to the Cuban private sector, which was lawfully established and has been able to develop thanks to the measures taken, as a sovereign act, by the Cuban government in consultation with the Cuban people.

So has occurred with the access to the Internet, which was established and expanded by Cuba, despite the obstacles resulting from the blockade and the restrictions imposed to prevent free access to hundreds of tools and websites.

The Government of the United States has been explicit in its intention to use this sector for political purposes against the Revolution, in the interest of its change of regime policy.

Even if these measures were about a whimsical selectivity, both the private and the public sector will continue to suffer from the consequences of the blockade and the absurd inclusion of Cuba in the list of States that allegedly sponsor terrorism.

The coercive measures that are part of the economic blockade will remain in force, with their cruel impact on the entire Cuban population.

Obviously, the United States is ratifying its willingness to punish Cuba’s state sector, knowing that this is the one that offers essential services such as education, health, culture, sports and others to all Cubans, including the private sector; and that it is the guarantee of social justice and equity among all citizens. That is the reason why the US government recently adopted measures aimed at persecuting Cuba’s international medical cooperation. Several published documents have revealed that the US remains determined to depriving us from our revenues and destabilizing the country with the political purpose of dominating our nation.

The Cuban government will analyze these measures, and if they do not infringe upon our national legislation, and they are in fact an openness that would benefit the Cuban people, even if only one sector, it will not impede its implementation.

May 28, 2024.