CELAC-EU Summit reaffirms opposition to US blockade on Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, November 11 (ACN) The Santa Marta Declaration reaffirmed the need to end the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States government on Cuba, and expressed opposition to laws and regulations with extraterritorial effects, Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla emphasized.

On social media, Cuban diplomat highlighted the recognition in the joint declaration of the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU), held on Sunday in the Colombian city of Santa Marta, of the impact of Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

The document reaffirms the importance of a bi-regional relationship based on mutual respect, shared values ​​and interests, and adherence to the purposes and principles of International Law and the Charter of the United Nations, he added.

Cuban head of diplomacy clarified that the text reaffirms Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, declared by the CELAC member states in 2014, opposed to the threat and use of force and committed to resolving disputes through dialogue, in accordance with international law.

The declaration elaborated on the situation in Gaza and reiterated the firm condemnation of the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the increase in settler violence, the expansion of illegal settlements, and Israel's military operation, he specified.

The minister added that it addressed issues of the bi-regional relationship such as confronting climate change, joint efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda, development financing, and the need for developed nations to fulfill their Official Development Assistance commitments.

Rodriguez Parrilla lamented that the text lacks a strong condemnation of the current US military deployment in the Caribbean Sea, which endangers regional peace, stability and security, even though it was a topic widely discussed during the debates of the 4th CELAC-EU Summit.