In an exclusive interview with journalist Arlín Rodríguez on national television, the Cuban president blamed the blockade policy by successive US administrations against Cuba, which has lasted for more than six decades.
The economic siege, the financial persecution, and the enormous disinformation and subversion campaign promoted by the White House make the lives of Cuban citizens much more complex amid the conflictive international scenario, Díaz-Canel explained.
He said that despite the persistence of the Yankee blockade, the economy was functioning more comfortably in the first half of 2019; everything began to change with the imposition of more than 240 coercive measures decreed by the Government of former US President Donald Trump (2016-2020).
A few days before leaving office, Trump included Cuba in the false list of countries that, according to his unilateral approach, sponsor terrorism, which has cut off all forms of financing and access to energy resources, the Cuban president said.
Upon arguing about the continuation of that policy by US President Joe Biden, Díaz-Canel highlighted the cruelty of its implementation amid the Covid-19 pandemic, whose effects on the economy were devastating. In this context, the head of State highlighted the prowess of scientists and the health system, along with the people, who saved lives by producing homemade vaccines, medicines, and medical equipment, facing the impossibility of accessing them on the world market.
During the interview, Díaz-Canel talked about the complexities of the national economy, marked by the lack of foreign currency, which hinders the purchase of raw materials to stimulate industries, produce medicines and agricultural products, and import the necessary food.
He acknowledged that although some economic measures have not had the desired effect, the current inflationary spiral cannot be attributed to the decisions adopted in the so-called “Monetary Overhaul Task,” implemented a few months before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The head of State noted that the world is experiencing inflation with the destabilization of economies and markets, which has been made more complex due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
He argued that the Cuban Government included the opinions of academicians, experts, and the population, and the decisions taken were analyzed to further correct deviations in the economic policy.
As to the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the national economic scenario, the president praised their contribution to supplying goods and services that the socialist state enterprise and the Government cannot assume.
Despite the complexities of the national economy, reversing problems is possible by applying the concept of creative resistance, for which, there are potentialities in saving resources and the efficient usage of few foreign currencies available, he said.
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