Cuba’s strategic location in the Gulf of Mexico, which is why the Caribbean republic is called the “key to the Gulf,” could make it easier for BRICS member countries to access important markets in Central America and the Caribbean, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said at the BRICS summit in Kazan.
“Cuba, as the ‘key’ to the Gulf, in light of its strategic position in the Caribbean Sea, can facilitate the access of BRICS countries to important markets in Central America and the Caribbean and help establish strategic associations for the benefit of our countries,” he said in a speech published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic.
“With its political, economic, and demographic weight, the BRICS association has emerged as a major player with growing relevance and leadership in the global geopolitical scenario and has become a real hope for the countries of the South on their difficult path to a more just, democratic and sustainable world order,” the minister noted.
He also stressed that Cuba “highly values the group’s contribution in the process of urgent and profound reform of the international financial system, which is outdated, unfair, speculative and exclusive.” “The New BRICS Development Bank is playing an increasingly decisive role each time, and is an important alternative for the countries of the South to gain access to financial resources on fairer terms,” the minister stressed. He also expressed the opinion that with its monetary policy, BRICS “contributes to the creation of a newer, more necessary and inclusive international financial architecture.”
Cuba shares the views set out in the declaration of the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, Rodriguez Parrilla emphasized, as reported by Radio Habana Cuba. “We are pleased to see that BRICS, among its priorities, highlights countering the global food and energy crises, using very positive experience,” he said. The head of the Cuban Foreign Ministry noted that his country “maintains historical ties with all BRICS member countries, as well as with the states invited to this important meeting.” He recalled that Cuba has already joined several initiatives of the association’s member countries, such as “One Belt – One Road” and the Eurasian Economic Union, in which the Caribbean republic has observer status. The presence of the Cuban delegation in Kazan today, the minister noted, “embodies our will to deepen this path in the search for cooperation and mutual benefits, and to join [BRICS] as a partner country, as we have already officially requested the Russian Federation as the temporary chair of the group, in which we count on the support of all of you.”
Energy crisis
The head of the Cuban Foreign Ministry noted that the unforeseen power situation and the simultaneous impact of the hurricane on the republic “prevented the presence of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel at this important forum, as he had planned.”
The Minister recalled that over the past 5 days, Cuba has experienced a massive blackout of the national electricity system, caused primarily by the lack of fuel the paralysis of power plants, and technological problems that prevent the system from being restored in the event of an accident. “This is a direct consequence of the extreme measures taken by the US government as part of the economic war since 2019, specifically designed to hinder the supply of fuel and spare parts, as well as investments,” Rodríguez Parrilla emphasized. He noted that in just one year, such measures by the US government have created difficulties for 53 ships and 27 companies working with Cuba.
The minister recalled that the Caribbean republic has been experiencing an economic embargo by the United States for 60 years, and it has become much worse in 2019, including during the pandemic. The situation has also been complicated by the inclusion of Cuba in the US list of countries that, according to the US, allegedly sponsor terrorism, Rodriguez Parrilla noted. “All this has a very negative impact on the quality of life of all Cubans and provokes serious humanitarian damage, deprivation and suffering,” he stressed.
