EXPRESSING his gratefulness to the international community for voting against the United States financial, commercial and economic blockade against his country, Cuba’s ambassador to Saint Lucia Alejandro Simancas Marin, said his country will not move a millimeter in its will to resist pressure from its mightier neighbour.
Marin, who spoke to reporters Friday at his offices in Rodney Bay said that he hopes the United States government sees the overwhelming support the international community has given to Cuba and as a result finds a way to have a normal existence with Cuba, the two countries being neighbours.
The United Nations General Assembly, this year, for the 28th consecutive year, adopted a resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba.
The vote, held last Thursday, saw 187 Member States underlining their support for the resolution with Brazil and Israel joining the United States in voting no.
Two countries, Colombia and Ukraine, abstained.
Ambassador Marin said that under the Trump regime the situation with the United States had worsened noting that Cuba had suffered losses of US$4, 343, 600, 000 from April 2018 to March 2019. Further, damages accumulated over six decades of the United States policy against Cuba had reached US$138,843,400,000.
According to the ambassador total quantifiable harm caused by the blockade had reached more than US$ 922,630,000,000.
On the question of health Ambassador Marin noted that damage caused by the United States sanctions against Cuba was unquestionable in that they obstruct the acquisition of technology, raw materials, reagents, diagnostic tools, equipment, spare parts and medicines for the treatment of serious diseases like cancer. He said that between April 2018 and March 2019, damages in this sector amounted to US$104,148,178 a figure that exceeds last year’s estimate of US$6,123,498.
The consequences of the blockade in the food and agriculture sector had been estimated at a value of US$412,230,614. It was revealed that the blockade prevented access to the US market, which is more convenient in terms of prices, proximity and range of materials and equipment. Havana Club, one of the most prestigious rum makers in this sector, was denied potential earnings of US$41,300,000 by the blockade.
Under Education, Sports and Culture the University of Sancti Spiritus was not allowed to purchase 20 smart braille typewriters and auditory accessories from the Perkins company, essential to the training of special education teachers and in January 23, 2019 the French bank Societe Generale de Paris retained a bank transfer of 7,474 euros from Equatorial Guinea to Cuba, compensation for professional education services provided. Restricted were purchases of sports equipment required by official regulations of international federations. The 22nd edition of the Terry Fox Run in Cuba could not be held this year, with the director of this international foundation informing organizers that the fund could no longer help with the event or continue to support cancer research in Cuba.
Ambassador Marin showed that in the area of industry the blockade caused losses of US$49 million, which could have been used to acquire necessary raw materials and that the construction sector continues to face serious difficulties in acquiring more efficient, lightweight technologies that require less energy and materials.
