The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, expressed this Sunday his gratitude for the "solidarity" and "brotherhood" shown by his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, after the sending of humanitarian aid to the island in a context of deep economic crisis, which Havana attributes to the blockade imposed by the United States Government.
"Deep gratitude to President Gustavo Petro and the Colombian people for sending aid to the noble Cuban people. This solidarity reaches us in difficult days," the Cuban leader stated, subsequently emphasizing that "brotherhood cannot be blocked" in a direct message against the "criminal" economic and energy blockade policy applied by the Trump administration.
The shipment, consisting of almost 100 tons of humanitarian assistance, was transported aboard the ARC Caribe ship of the Colombian Navy. The vessel departed on June 5 with the mission to "address the devastating effects of Hurricane Melissa," as well as to "alleviate the serious difficulties arising from the current energy and economic crisis" that the Caribbean country is experiencing.
"This shipment of humanitarian aid to Cuba is an expression of the solidarity that unites our peoples and of the conviction that, in the face of difficulties, the response must be cooperation and mutual support," stated the director of the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia, Alexandra Palencia.
Cuba announces economic reforms inspired by China and Vietnam
Díaz-Canel surprisingly announced last Friday a set of structural reforms aimed at partially liberalizing the island's economy, taking the market economy models of China and Vietnam as a reference, with the intention of mitigating the effect of economic and energy sanctions and responding to pressure from the White House.
The plan, aimed at making the current centrally planned economy system more flexible, includes greater openness to the private sector, the entry of state-owned companies into the foreign exchange market, the possibility for Cuban citizens residing abroad to make investments in the country, and a simplification of administrative procedures to boost national production.
Thus, the measures disclosed by the Cuban leader are framed within the increase of economic pressure exerted by the US president on Cuba in recent months, with the purpose of forcing political and economic transformations on the island. A pressure that, in Díaz-Canel's words, "is having an impact that complicates the daily lives of Cubans".
In recent dates, Washington has imposed sanctions on the president of Cuba and four other individuals, including his predecessor, Raúl Castro. These decisions come amid a hardening of measures against the island, particularly since the beginning of the year, through a 'de facto' blockade on fuel supply. The Cuban head of state has described this strategy as a "collective punishment" which, in his opinion, is equivalent to an "act of genocide".