The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, held this Saturday a meeting in Havana with a delegation of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, to whom he expressed his recognition for their work in "facilitating the humanitarian aid" that reaches the island and with whom he discussed "the national reality of both countries."
"I received a delegation from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (...) We discussed the national reality of both countries and the international setting. I thanked the role of the Church and its organizations for facilitating the humanitarian aid that arrives in Cuba, coming from several countries," the Cuban president said in a posting on his social media.
Since last July, when the first shipment of humanitarian aid from Washington arrived in Cuba, new cargoes have been produced with destination to Havana. This assistance is not rejected by the Cuban Executive, which, however, counterposes it to the "collective punishment" that, according to Díaz-Canel, the United States applies through its economic sanctions.
The meeting takes place while the Cuban Government demands that the U.S. Administration lift the economic blockade in force over the island and end the measures that it considers a "collective punishment" against Cuban citizens, while also reiterating that the country will respond to any attempt at foreign military aggression.
The president has criticized that in recent weeks statements by political officials from Washington have multiplied that, in his view, have only served to encourage and reinforce the possibility of a military intervention in Cuba. In this context, he has once again demanded that the United States put an end to what he has described as "genocidal aggression" against the population of the island.