No argument for keeping Cuba's name on terrorist list

HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 12 (ACN) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla stressed that there is no valid or reasonable argument for keeping Cuba on the U.S. State Department’s unilateral list of alleged state sponsors of terrorism, a measure he described as unacceptable inasmuch as it is taken against a nation victim of terrorism that still suffers from violent and terrorist acts promoted precisely, and with impunity, from the United States.

Rodríguez Parrilla highlighted Cuba's permanent and firm opposition to, and persecution of, any form or expression of terrorism, a fact recognized at a global level.

The State Sponsors of Terrorism List is a foreign policy instrument that penalizes countries held by the United States to be supporters of international terrorism.

Cuba was first included on the said list under President Ronald Reagan in 1982 and kept on it until President Obama decided to remove it from the list in 2015 as part of his efforts to develop a more constructive relationship with Cuba.

On January 12, 2021, near the end of the Trump Administration, Cuba was designated again as a state sponsor of terrorism, a status still maintained under President Biden.

As a result, Cuba faces additional restrictions on international humanitarian aid at a time when the country is grappling with shortages of basic goods and medical supplies aggravated by the lingering economic impact of the pandemic, Trump’s harshest sanctions, a decades-long blockade, and a global spike in food prices. Likewise, banks, financial institutions, businesses and investors are hesitant to engage with Cuba while limiting individuals from opening foreign bank accounts, using instruments for international collections and payments, and contracting online servers and services.

The designation also prevents U.S. educational institutions from doing joint research with and supporting Cuban academia.