Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel strongly condemned Washington's oil embargo and increased sanctions in a speech on Sunday, calling the policy of US President Donald Trump's administration "political genocide," Reuters reported.
Cuba Accuses US of Pressure on UN Countries Ahead of Debate on Embargo
The debate traditionally precedes the annual vote at which member states call on the US to end sanctions against Cuba
Diaz-Canel criticized a recent US State Department report that accused Cuba of infiltrating the US government and supporting "an unprecedented wave of left-wing terrorism in the US." land".
The Trump administration has escalated its attacks on left-wing groups in the United States.
"By blaming Cuba, they are not just looking for a scapegoat, a foreign agent. They are looking for someone to blame for the protests in the sectors most affected by an economy that is making the rich richer and the poor poorer," Diaz-Canel said. They are looking for a new excuse to continue their political genocide against Cuba. The speech highlighted growing tensions between Havana and Washington as the oil embargo and the Trump administration's expanded sanctions have deepened Cuba's worst economic crisis in decades, causing power outages and fuel shortages across the island. Diaz-Canel's speech was part of government celebrations marking the 73rd anniversary of the first offensive by Fidel Castro's guerrillas against the army of U.S.-backed leader Fulgencio Batista in 1953, which began a rebellion that toppled Batista more than five years later. The most important holiday in Cuba's revolutionary calendar, Sunday's event also included artistic performances for thousands of government supporters. The island's unprecedented economic crisis has prompted international companies, especially in the tourism and financial sectors, to cease operations in Cuba. In addition to the power outages, depleted fuel supplies have caused multiple outages in the national grid. Public transport in the country is also on a disrupted schedule, and the school year has been interrupted due to a lack of fuel.
Washington accuses the Cuban government of economic mismanagement and a lack of investment in aging infrastructure.
In his speech, Diaz-Canel called for an end to sanctions and the oil blockade and thanked international groups that have sent humanitarian aid and supplies to the island.
"May Cuba live in peace, and may the noblest of the American people, who have historically fought for the human rights of other peoples without expecting recognition and often facing persecution, imprisonment and risks to their lives, live in peace," he said. Cuba is not a threat to the United States or to any other country on earth."