“The United States imposes an oil embargo, blocks the entry of food and medicines into our country, and subjects us to incalculable hardships—hardships believable only to those who suffer daily the consequences of a policy that violates international law, the United Nations Charter, and all human, ethical, and moral rights governing this world,” the diplomat stated.

During a cultural event commemorating Cuba’s National Rebellion Day, the head of the diplomatic mission in Bogota emphasized how power outages caused by a lack of fossil fuels for power plants constitute “collective punishment against a people who have decided to resist rather than surrender.”

He asserted that Cuba is a peaceful country and poses no threat to the United States, noting: “Our country’s defense doctrine—or military doctrine—is based on the concept of ‘War of the Entire People,’ a strategy for defending our sovereignty and independence. It in no way contemplates aggression against another nation,” he declared.

He also deplored what he described as a “mediocre propaganda pamphlet against Cuba,” in which the U.S. State Department accuses the island of alleged subversive influence against the United States.

In his address, the ambassador also expressed gratitude to the Colombian Movement of Solidarity with Cuba and the government of President Gustavo Petro, highlighting existing ties and acts of brotherhood; thanks to these bonds, for instance, more than two thousand Colombians are currently studying at the Latin American School of Medicine or pursuing medical specializations on the island.

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