The Cuban Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the presence of a large number of US Navy personnel in those waters, including nuclear submarines belonging to the US military, the Sri Lankan newspaper reported.

It also noted that the concentration of US ships and naval assets near the coast of Venezuela constitutes a direct threat to regional stability and resorts to “absurd pretexts” and is in flagrant contradiction to the spirit of peace defended by Latin American and Caribbean countries.

It remembered that this action violates the collective commitment made by the 33 member states of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) when they declared the region a Zone of Peace.

Cuba considered that the presence of nuclear submarines, warships, and a disproportionate military deployment in an area with a tradition of pacifism does not constitute an adequate or legitimate response to confronting challenges such as organized crime, drug trafficking, or migration.

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