Cuba prepared if US chooses to sever ties, says Cuban diplomat

A month after the US imposed travel sanctions on Cuban Interior Minister Julio Cesar Gandarilla Bermejo, Cuba’s Communist government said that it is prepared if President Donald Trump’s administration severs diplomatic relations, a top Cuban diplomat reportedly said. US-Cuba diplomatic relations were established under the Obama administration after decades of hostility and former US president visited Havana to normalise the relationship.

But the recent developments under the Trump administration have threatened the process. The travel sanctions on the Cuban minister was supposedly against his involvement in the “violations of human rights in Venezuela” and support for Venezuela’s socialist president. “In addition to the public designation of Julio Cesar Gandarilla Bermejo, the Department is also publicly designating his children, Julio Cesar Gandarilla Sarmiento and Alejandro Gandarilla Sarmiento,” said Pompeo in a statement.

Read: US Imposes Travel Sanctions On Cuba's Interior Minister Julio Ceaser Gandarilla Bermejo

Declining bilateral relation

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo supported Bolivian Government on the expulsion of hundreds of Cuban officials from their country. “It was the right thing to do. Cuba wasn’t sending doctors and officials to Bolivia to help the Bolivian people, but rather, to prop up a pro-Cuba regime headed by Evo Morales, who sought to maintain his grip on power through electoral fraud,” said Pompeo.

Cuban Foreign Ministry’s General Director for US Affairs Carlos Fernandez de Cossio talked about "powerful people" in the US government saying they want to increasingly apply hostile measures and sever the bilateral relationship. Cossio said that Cuba is ready to face reality but the Cuban government or the people are not seeking it actively. The relief in trade and travel restrictions during Obama’s presidency has also been hit by the new sanctions. The Trump administration has tightened the noose around Cuba by banning US cruises and allowed its citizens to bring lawsuits against foreign companies allegedly trafficking in Cuban properties. 

Read: UN Votes Overwhelmingly To Condemn US Embargo On Cuba

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had condemned the American economic embargo of Cuba and rejected US criticism of human rights violations there. It also criticised the Trump administration’s increasingly tough enforcement measures. The UNGA voted overwhelmingly against the embargo with 187-3 in the 193-member world body. Three countries including the United States voted “no” while Colombia and Ukraine abstained from it. Last year, the assembly voted 189-2 with the US and Israel voting “no” with zero abstentions.

Read: Cuba Lashes Out At Trump, Calls To Defeat Alleged Imperialism By U.S.

Read: Cuba To Let Citizens Buy Imports With Foreign Currencies

(With inputs from agencies)