U.S.-Cuba Relations
Process of Bilateral Talks
The following is a summary of a March 13 press conference by Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, President of the Republic of Cuba, on bilateral relations with the U.S. and the impact of tightening of its blockade against Cuba
- Information is provided on this bilateral process "exactly at the moment it occurs," separate from the multiple speculations generated on the subject.
- These are processes carried out with discretion; they are lengthy, and are now in the initial phase. They occur in line with the consistent policy defended by the Cuban Revolution throughout its history.
- These exchanges have been facilitated with the participation of international actors, as has happened in similar processes in previous years, citing the example of the process with the administration of President Barack Obama.
- The Cuban President mentioned the three main purposes of the current process:
1. To determine which bilateral problems need solving.
2. To establish possible avenues for solving these problems.
3. To determine if there is a will to carry out concrete actions for the benefit of our peoples, which implies identifying areas of cooperation to confront threats and guarantee the security and peace of both countries.
- In the conversations, the Cuban side has expressed its willingness to conduct them on the bases of equality and respect for the political systems of both States, for sovereignty, and for the self-determination of both governments, taking into account a sense of reciprocity and adherence to International Law.
Impact of Tightening U.S. Blockade
- No fuel has entered the country in the last three months. The arrival of diesel and fuel oil has been systematically blocked.
- This situation has led to the depletion of the diesel and fuel oil reserves that were still maintained for distributed generation and causes a situation of great instability in energy generation.
- The measures outlined within the National Energy Strategy continue to be implemented, prioritizing the protection of essential services and accelerating renewable energy source projects as a long-term sustainable and sovereign solution.
- Economic activity and the provision of services have been reduced. No country can produce at usual levels without energy.
- We have had communities with more than 30 hours of blackouts. This causes irritability, discomfort, and tremendous anguish in the population, because it also impacts everything, directly impacting water supply and water pumping. It impacts the vitality of services and production as well. It impacts communications. It impacts medical services, impacts education, impacts transportation, and we could see how this cross-cuts all daily activities of Cuban men and women.
- At this moment, there are tens of thousands of people in the country waiting for surgery that cannot be performed due to the lack of electricity. Among these tens of thousands, a significant portion are children waiting for surgical interventions due to the effects on our electro-energy system and our health system caused by this energy blockade.
- There are impacts on educational processes, specifically in university education. "How does education function with blackouts, without fuel to transport teachers and students, with food deficits in schools, without the tools that mean the use of information technologies?"
- The curricular design in both general education and higher education had to be redirected. Both general education and higher education are and will continue to be priorities for the Revolution in any circumstance.
Cuba Guarantees Transparency in Reception and Distribution of Donations
- In the current context, Cuba receives donations, which has provoked campaigns of media poisoning by right-wing forces questioning the use and destination of these resources.
- The president recalled Cuba's long historical experience in receiving donations from international organizations, cooperation projects, institutions, and supportive governments, with an organized system of planning, distribution, and control.
- He noted that donations may arrive in emergency situations, such as hurricanes or other natural disasters, on the initiative of friendly governments, or as part of cooperation projects with agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Development Fund.
- The donor's purpose is always respected. If a donation is intended for a specific educational, health, or community centre, it is delivered exactly there. In other cases, when the donor provides resources with a general objective, the country defines priorities based on the most urgent needs.
- Donations are primarily allocated to the most vulnerable, health institutions, education and social services, such as maternity homes, nursing homes and centres for children without family support. All resources are distributed free of charge, without any economic benefit to the country, guaranteeing their social nature.
- The control and transparency system includes the participation of social workers, audits by the Prosecutor's Office, the Comptroller's Office, and the internal systems of the institutions involved; furthermore, representatives from international organizations and embassies directly verify the destination of donations, confirming the correct use of resources.
Attempted Armed Infiltration on the Cuban Coasts
- The February 25 incident was an armed infiltration for terrorist purposes, financed and organized from U.S. territory.
- A criminal proceeding has been established for the surviving involved parties, a process with all legal guarantees, including contact with their families. The injured remain under medical care, which they have appreciated.
- In the investigations, all those involved have acknowledged their participation, that they were the first to shoot at the Cuban border guards, and have provided details of the recruitment, organization, training and financing, with names, institutions and objectives.
- Two of the detainees were already included on the national list of terrorist persons and entities. Information was timely provided to the U.S. counterpart, which has appreciated the information and has stated through diplomatic channels its willingness to participate in the clarification.
- He announced an upcoming visit by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to collaborate with the Cuban Ministry of the Interior.
- He also referred to the 10 Panamanian citizens detained and prosecuted for subversive activities, who have likewise given details about who recruited, organized and financed them, which will be reported in due course.
(Minrex)
This article was published in
Volume 56 Number 3 - March-April, 2026
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/TML2026/Articles/MS560310.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca