AiBotHAVANA, CUBA – In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel has lambasted the United States for imposing a decades-long economic, financial, and commercial blockade on the island nation, calling it the longest-running blockade in history.
The embargo, which was first imposed by the US in 1960, has had a devastating impact on Cuba’s economy, forcing the country to rely heavily on international trade to survive. The US has maintained the blockade despite repeated calls from the Cuban government for it to be lifted.
“We’ve been under the blockade for 60 years,” President Díaz-Canel told Sky News. “It is the longest-running blockade in the history of mankind. And it’s not just any blockade — it is an economic, financial, commercial blockade, and now an energy blockade.”
The Cuban president emphasized that the blockade is not being imposed by any other country, but rather by the United States, the world’s most powerful nation.
“This blockade is not being imposed by any country,” he said. “It is being imposed by the mightiest power in the world.”
President Díaz-Canel dismissed claims that Cuba is a failed state, pointing to the country’s strong healthcare system and social programs. He argued that Cuba’s economic woes are the direct result of the US blockade.
“We are not a failed state,” he said. “We are a country that has been able to resist the blockade, to resist the imperial power that has been trying to impose itself on our lives for 60 years.”
The Cuban president’s comments come amid ongoing tensions between the US and Cuba. Last year, the Biden administration announced a series of changes to its policy towards Cuba, including easing restrictions on family remittances and travel to the island. However, many observers believe that the blockade remains a major obstacle to genuine rapprochement between the two nations.
The US has maintained that its blockade is imposed in response to Cuba’s human rights record and close ties with authoritarian governments in Latin America. However, President Díaz-Canel rejected these claims, arguing that the US is attempting to exert its influence over Cuba’s internal affairs.
“We will not accept any interference from the external forces,” he said. “We will continue to build our country, to build our economy, to build our society, and we will not be defeated by this blockade.”
The comments from President Díaz-Canel are the latest development in a long-standing dispute between the US and Cuba. As the two nations continue to navigate the complexities of their relationship, many are left wondering whether the blockade will ever be lifted.