By Leticia Martínez
“I came to call on humanity to show solidarity with Cuba, so that there is no invasion or missile launch here, and to propose as an alternative, even to the current United States government, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Trump, that a dialogue be established between civilizations that must be equal despite their differences.”
This is what the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said in statements to the press after being received by the Cuban President, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, this Friday at the Palace of the Revolution.
Following the official ceremony in the Portocarrero Hall—the usual venue for such protocol events on the island—and the discussions between the two leaders and their delegations, the Colombian statesman remarked:
“Latin America and the Caribbean are a civilization diverse within itself, yet distinct from others, and the path forward, if we wish to preserve life in general and human existence in particular, lies precisely in building a dialogue of civilizations.”
Just hours after arriving in Havana, Gustavo Petro affirmed:
“It would be good if, amidst the danger looming over Cuba, it were transformed, instead of a danger, into a stage for this dialogue.”
Therefore, the president added:
“This is not only a message to the Cuban or Colombian people, it is not only a message to humanity, but also to the United States government itself.”
“It is time for dialogue. What is happening in the Middle East is not something to celebrate; it could be the prelude to a global holocaust, to widespread barbarity, and it is preferable that the people of the United States and their current government react.”
He asserted that:
“We have a man like Netanyahu who is only saving himself, trying to perpetuate his power in Israel, waging wars outside of Israel, trying to escalate wars outside of Israel to save himself from international judgment, which, like the Nazis at the Nuremberg trials, he deserves for being a genocidal maniac.”
The people of the United States, he added, “cannot be complicit in this, and in my conversations as Head of State with U.S. officials, including President Trump, I would tell them that they cannot be complicit with a genocidal maniac if they acknowledge the history of the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries.”
It is time for a dialogue of civilizations, reiterated the President of Colombia.
“And this could happen, in the American case, here between the state of Florida and the island and Republic of Cuba, which are so close and yet so far, which could well be the first bridge of unity for humanity amidst diversity, for life and for freedom.”
This is Petro’s third visit to Cuba as Head of State. The first took place in June 2023, for the closing of a round of peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN). The second occurred in September 2023, to participate in the G77-China Summit.
According to a statement released by the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Petro’s agenda concludes this Saturday, August 1st, and the visit is in response to an invitation extended by President Díaz-Canel, who, just before midnight on Friday, wrote on his social media account that “it was a great pleasure to receive the esteemed President of Colombia.”
The Cuban president added:
“We expressed our gratitude for their profound solidarity and firm support for our country in the face of threats of aggression, the energy blockade, and the intensification of the U.S. economic embargo. We reiterate our government’s unwavering commitment to peace in Colombia.”
Petro’s visit comes shortly after Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, announced that he would close the Colombian embassy in Havana and that his government would have no ties whatsoever with Cuba, a move the Cuban Foreign Ministry described as an act of subservience to the United States’ policy of aggression.
The Foreign Ministry’s statement following these declarations affirms that:
“We enjoy a fluid bilateral relationship with Colombia, which has shown significant progress in the economic and commercial spheres, as well as in cooperation and academic exchanges, to the benefit of both our peoples. It has been a constant priority for Cuba to expand and strengthen this relationship.”
Furthermore, he assures that Cuba will honor its commitments to students studying Medicine in the Caribbean nation, as part of the Peace Accords signed in Havana in 2016.
IMAGE CREDIT: President Gustavo Petro during his visit to Cuba. Photo: Estudios Revolución
[ SOURCE: CUBA DEBATE ]
