Cuba condemned provocative US actions in the Caribbean

Havana, Cuba, Sep 15 (ACN) Miguel Diaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and President of the Republic, condemned the recent assault on a Venezuelan fishing boat by US troops deployed since last August in the southern Caribbean.

In a message published on X, the head of state described the aforementioned action as illegal, contrary to international law, and a "cowardly and dangerous provocation."

He also reaffirmed that Latin America and the Caribbean are a Zone of Peace, as proclaimed in Havana in 2014 by the region's heads of state.

On Friday, in Venezuela's Exclusive Economic Zone, the vessel "Carmen Rosa," crewed by nine Venezuelan tuna fishermen, was assaulted by a US Navy vessel.

According to a statement from the Venezuelan government, the warship deployed 18 troops with long weapons, who boarded and occupied the small boat for eight hours, impeding communication and the normal activities of the fishermen.

"Those who give the order to carry out these provocations are seeking an incident that would justify an escalation of the war in the Caribbean, with the aim of insisting on their failed policy of regime change, rejected by the US people," the statement stated.

Since last August, the administration of US President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of air and naval forces in the southern Caribbean Sea, supposedly to confront drug cartels in Latin America, which, according to the White House, represent a threat to its national security.

On that occasion, a US Department of Defense official, quoted by CNN, said that the deployment is intended to be a deterrent, although he emphasized that the presence of these troops gives the military command a range of options to use force if deemed necessary.

At the 2nd CELAC Summit, the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace was signed, which underscores the permanent commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes, in order to permanently banish the use and threat of force from the region.