Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío told The Associated Press that his government is not engaged in dialogue with the United States, but is open to it if certain criteria are met, as tensions remain high between the two countries.
The deputy foreign minister spoke days after US President Donald Trump said his administration is beginning talks with Cuban leaders after he threatened to impose tariffs on any country that supplies oil to the island.
“We are not yet talking specifically about negotiations. That is another matter. We are open to dialogue.” “If we can engage in dialogue, perhaps we can reach a negotiation,” he said.
Fernández de Cossío added that Cuba is willing to have an “informal dialogue” with the U.S. “with the goal of ensuring that we can have a respectful and serious coexistence despite the differences between our two countries.”
He emphasized that certain things are off the table for Cuba, including the Constitution, the economy, and the country’s socialist system of government. “But there are many, many other issues we can discuss,” he noted.
Anger and anxiety are spreading throughout the country following the news of Trump’s tariff threat against oil suppliers.
Cuba, of course, is preparing with creativity, stoicism, and austerity. What can Cuba do? “Just watch us,” he added.
When Trump signed an executive order late last week imposing tariffs, he called Cuba a “failed nation” and said that “it looks like it’s something that just isn’t going to be able to survive.”
The White House occupant asked Mexico to suspend oil shipments to Cuba.
On Sunday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that she would send food and other humanitarian aid to Cuba, adding that her government was trying to “diplomatically resolve everything related to the oil shipments” to the island.
In the brief interview, Fernández de Cossío emphasized that the Caribbean nation is not a threat to the United States.
“Cuba is a peaceful country. We only wish to engage with the United States as we have with the rest of the world. The United States is the exception today,” he noted.
[ SOURCE: CUBA DEBATE ]
