Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Photo: El Tiempo)
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, assured this Wednesday that the relationship of the new US government with Cuba will continue to be based on the objective of achieving democracy and freedom for the Cuban people.
“I think that in general we share the same objectives when it comes to Cuba, and that is democracy and freedom for its people. I respect the opinions and experiences of our Cuban-American citizens, because you have lived it, “he said during the hearing of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives on the foreign policy of the Joe Biden administration.
This was Blinken’s response when questioned by Representative Albio Sires, a Democrat from New Jersey, who wanted to know what steps could be taken to stop the violence against opposition activists on the Island.
In this way, the Secretary of State made clear the objective of the new US government on the Cuba issue, although he did not specify how they will work to achieve it. He explained that they are reviewing “all the policy towards Cuba at this time”, but “no conclusion has yet been reached.”
“I think we also started with the recognition that obviously no past policy of any kind has been fully successful,” the official said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced last Tuesday that changing current policy towards the island is not among Joe Biden’s priorities, although they are reviewing the issue.
“A change in policy on Cuba is not currently within President Biden’s priorities (…) But we are committed to making human rights a central pillar of our policy and we carefully review the political decisions made by the previous Administration, including the decision to designate Cuba as a State promoter of terrorism, “said Psaki.
Therefore, it is not yet clear what relations between the US and Cuba will be like during Biden’s term. The island’s government had shown hopes of a positive change for them with the arrival of the Democrat to the White House, but for now everything remains the same.
At the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, the concern of the US government about the growing activity of Russia in Cuban territory was also manifested.
“We have seen a resurgence of Russian presence and activity in Cuba in recent years. And we are very attentive to that in all areas, “said Blinken.
The Secretary of State added that the Democratic government is also aware of the current role of Russia in the case of Venezuela.