Ankara: Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla stated on Wednesday that the United States has forsaken international legal principles to implement a strategy aimed at economically suffocating Cuba.
According to Anadolu Agency, Rodriguez addressed the National Assembly, claiming that the US government has chosen to "undermine and destroy" the foundations of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, which have governed inter-state relations for over 80 years. He argued that the principle of sovereign equality among nations is being compromised by an aggressive campaign led by the current US administration.
Rodriguez highlighted the impact of a "total energy blockade" in place since January, which is designed to obstruct the importation of fuel and technology necessary for electricity generation. He emphasized that these measures hinder the acquisition of vital components, such as solar panels, and accused the US of taking satisfaction in the hardships faced by Cubans, including the loss of lives due to a lack of medical supplies.
The foreign minister condemned the American foreign policy approach, describing it as an "unusual doctrine they title 'peace through force.'" He likened this strategy to the tactics of conquest and subjugation used by former colonial empires, suggesting that these actions echo the motivations behind the early 20th-century European reconfigurations.
Rodriguez also criticized a recent US report on Cuba, dismissing it as "mendacious and inconsistent," and speculated that it may have been "commissioned from a poorly used Artificial Intelligence application." The US has recently accused Cuba of engaging in a decades-long espionage campaign that allegedly infiltrated high levels of the US government.
On the topic of military sovereignty, Rodriguez maintained Cuba's right to self-defense. He expressed a desire for a "respectful and constructive relationship" but issued a stern warning about national defense. "We have the supreme right and duty to defend ourselves, even with arms, if we are militarily attacked," he stated.
Rodriguez anchored his comments in the history of the Cuban Revolution, recalling Fidel Castro's description of economic blockades as "silent atomic bombs" that cause indiscriminate harm. Under US President Donald Trump, bilateral relations have become increasingly confrontational, with regime change being an explicit goal of his administration. Washington has imposed an oil blockade and extensive sanctions to pressure Havana, resulting in prolonged blackouts and an unstable power grid.