Cuban Foreign Minister H.E Bruno Rodriguez took to Twitter to express gratitude for international support in recognizing the unfairness of Cuba’s inclusion on the United States’ list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Rodriguez’s statement comes in the wake of a significant policy shift by the Biden administration, which removed Cuba from a separate, albeit symbolically important, list of countries the US alleges are not fully cooperating with U.S. counterterrorism efforts.
“We appreciate recent statements by several governments that recognize the unfair inclusion of Cuba in the spurious list of countries that sponsor terrorism and encourage the US government to remove our country from that list, due to its devastating consequences for our people,” Rodriguez tweeted.
He added, “Cuba does not sponsor terrorism. The international community recognizes it and the US knows it. The Cuban people, over the last 65 years, have been victims of this, including state terrorism, used as a weapon to destroy the Cuban Revolution.”
This move by the U.S. State Department reflects a change in the perception of Cuba’s cooperation with the United States in counterterrorism efforts. An official from the State Department cited the resumption of law enforcement cooperation between the two nations as a key factor in the decision, marking a notable shift from previous years.
“The department determined that the circumstances for Cuba’s certification as a ‘not fully cooperating country’ have changed from 2022 to 2023,” the official said. This assessment led to the exclusion of Cuba from the list required by law to be submitted to Congress, which is distinct from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
Cuba’s inclusion on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list was a last-minute decision by former President Donald Trump, who designated the island nation just before leaving office. This designation has been blamed by Cuban officials and many across the world for exacerbating the island’s severe economic crisis, leading to critical shortages of food, fuel, and medicine.
Experts suggest that the recent decision by the Biden administration may pave the way for a more comprehensive review of Cuba’s status as a state sponsor of terrorism. William LeoGrande, a professor at American University in Washington, noted, “This move by the Biden Administration could well be a prelude to the State Department reviewing Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.”
In an interview with Ignacio Ramonet, Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz Canel said Cuba is always ready for talks with US as long as there are no pre-conditions.
“We have expressed to the current US administration, both directly and indirectly, that we are ready to sit and talk, on an equal footing, without preconditions, about any of the topics that have to do with relations between Cuba and the US,” President Diaz said.
Cuban officials and international observers alike are watching closely to see if this policy change will lead to a broader re-evaluation of the sanctions and restrictions that have heavily impacted Cuba’s economy and its citizens’ daily lives. The international community’s call for a reassessment reflects a growing consensus that the current U.S. policy may be due for an overhaul. Every year, the UNGA votes overwhelmingly against the US blockade on Cuba.
