During the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held in India, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez stated this Friday, May 15, that despite the US blockade, sanctions, and threats of the use of force, the island “continues to build its sovereign path toward socialist development and contribute, from its modest means, to the development of other peoples of the Global South.”
At the forum on Reforms of Global Governance and the Multilateral System, the Foreign Minister also addressed the recent announcement by the United States regarding an offer of $100 million in humanitarian aid. Bruno Rodríguez noted that, to date, no official contact has been established, nor have details been specified regarding the intended use of this aid.
Along these same lines, he stated that, although Cuba does not typically reject foreign aid “offered in good faith and with genuine cooperative aims,” the most effective way to alleviate the situation of the Cuban people would be to de-escalate “the energy, economic, commercial, and financial blockade measures, which have intensified like never before in recent months and severely affect all sectors of the Cuban economy and society.”
The Cuban delegation denounced at the opening session on Thursday, May 14th, “the successive executive orders issued by the United States government that reinforce the economic blockade and the threat of military aggression against Cuba to extreme levels.”
In addition to the energy blockade, imposed on January 29 of this year, secondary sanctions of an extraterritorial nature have been applied against entities in third countries that operate or have operated with Cuba.
According to the Cuban foreign minister, these actions aim to enforce the international blockade, violating each government’s right to determine its own trade relations. He called on nations not to be intimidated and to work together in an international coalition that guarantees respect for sovereignty.
Cuba emphasized the importance of the BRICS as an alternative to the current economic order, “which is now dying with the imposition of peace by force.” The foreign minister advocated for a reform of the international financial system “and the creation of a multilateral mechanism within the framework of the United Nations (UN) for the fair and transparent negotiation of sovereign debt for developing countries.”
The Cuban proposal emphasizes that cooperation, solidarity, and justice are the only pillars for building a multilateral order that rejects hegemony and global domination. “We will continue to raise our voices in every international forum to defend the reforms the world needs,” he stated.
The eighteenth edition of the BRICS group ministerial meeting, which ended this Friday, took place within the framework of the bloc’s twentieth anniversary and was attended by foreign ministers and heads of delegation from member and partner countries.
IMAGE CREDIT: At the forum on Global Governance Reforms and the Multilateral System, the Foreign Minister also addressed the recent US announcement of an offer of humanitarian aid. Photo: @BrunoRguezP
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
