During his address at the Global South Academic Forum, the executive—who criticized the U.S. commercial, financial, and economic blockade against his country—challenged narratives that portray Cuba as a “failed state” and hold its government responsible for the economic and social hardships the nation is currently experiencing.

He also criticized international media coverage of the island, which, in his view, focuses disproportionately on issues such as power outages, shortcomings in healthcare services, and the accumulation of waste, while framing Cuba’s international cooperation efforts as criminal activity.

The executive further highlighted obstacles affecting the work of Prensa Latina’s foreign bureaus, including the closure of bank accounts, disruptions to communication services, and difficulties in executing financial transfers from Cuba.

Compounding these limitations, he explained, are the energy challenges within Cuba, where Prensa Latina’s headquarters has faced blackouts lasting up to 20 hours a day.

In response to this situation, the agency has relied on support from allied media outlets in China, Vietnam, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean—as well as international solidarity—to install solar panels, inverters, and batteries, allowing it to sustain operations for a significant portion of the day.

Speaking to Prensa Latina, the president of teleSUR, Patricia Villegas, also denounced the negative impact of the U.S. blockade against Cuba and highlighted the resilience of the Cuban people in the face of U.S. hostility.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Emiliano Lopez, a professor at the National University of La Plata in Argentina, as well as representatives from Zambia, South Africa, Brazil, China, Ghana, and Mexico.

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