The intensification of the blockade continues to be the central axis of the US government’s policy toward Cuba, with increasingly noticeable effects due to its extraterritorial application and a significant impact on economic activities, which hinders the sustainable development that every country has the right to build sovereignly.

This was stated by Joy Puentes, Charge d’Affaires a.i. of the Cuban Embassy in Hanoi, at a Vietnam-Cuba friendly meeting held on the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the attacks on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba and the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Barracks in Bayamo.

After denouncing “the most unjust, severe, and prolonged system of unilateral sanctions ever applied against any country” and its consequences, Puentes emphasized that “in this regard, Cuba has the invaluable support of Vietnam.”

The Cuban diplomat extolled the significance of the assaults on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes barracks, carried out by young rebels who, guided by the undisputed leadership of Fidel Castro, refused to let the ideals and example of National Hero Jose Marti die in the year of his centenary (1953).

Puentes also alluded to the immortal words of Vietnamese independence hero President Ho Chi Minh, when he stated that nothing is more precious than independence and freedom. And for this beautiful goal, he emphasized, Cubans fought tirelessly during those years.

The Friendship Association demands the immediate and unconditional lifting of the US-imposed blockade and reaffirms that Cuba is not alone, as it has the unwavering loyalty, solidarity, and support of Vietnam.

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