Cuban foreign minister: ‘Cuba is not a threat to the United States’

HAVANA—Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla told the National Assembly of People’s Power last week that the international political context in which the Cuban Revolution defends the interests of its people “has worsened significantly,” as U.S. imperialism intensifies its economic warfare against the island.

Speaking before the Seventh Ordinary Session of the legislature’s X term, Rodríguez accused the U.S. government of having “made the decision to break and destroy international law, the United Nations Charter and the pillars that emerged from World War II.” He said Washington has demonstrated its willingness to impose its will on other governments through intimidation, coercion, unilateral coercive measures and punitive trade tariffs.

The foreign minister also cited U.S. “military aggression, unjustified wars, the bombing of civilian populations, the kidnapping of a sitting head of state, political assassination, state terrorism, regime change and cognitive or unconventional warfare.” He characterized these acts as part of a doctrine Washington calls “peace by means of force.”

Rodríguez also sharply criticized the recent State Department report on Cuba authored by Marco Rubio, which he described as “superficial, petty and inconsistent” and aimed at portraying the island as a threat to the U.S. He said the report seeks to “criminalize sympathy for the Cuban Revolution” and the causes it defends—including social justice, civil rights, and the fight against racism, Zionism, war, and oppression.

The minister argued that for Washington, Cuba constitutes “a danger because of its example, its resistance, its dignity and its work for social justice.” He recalled the words of former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who in July 2021 declared that the Cuban people “deserve the prize of dignity” for having resisted for decades without submission, and proposed that Cuba be considered a “world heritage site” for its example of resistance.

‘Cuba is not a threat’

“Cuba is not a threat to the United States, nor does it wish to be its adversary or enemy,” Rodríguez stated. He emphasized that Cuba’s desire is peace, as reflected in its relations with the international community and the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.

He reiterated Cuba’s willingness to engage in dialogue with Washington “on the basis of respect,” but warned that the United States is aware of Cuba’s determination to defend itself “even with arms, if we are militarily attacked.” The foreign minister noted that the true danger the U.S. identifies is the alternative Cuba represents to “unfettered capitalism and imperialism”.

Rodríguez detailed the intensification of the U.S. economic war against Cuba, describing a “total energy blockade” that has been in effect since January of this year, preventing not only fuel imports but also components and parts for electricity generation, including solar panels. He said the U.S. is striving to “disconnect Cuba from the international economy” through tightened sanctions.

He cited the July 7 UN General Assembly vote, in which 136 nations supported debate on the U.S. blockade against Cuba—with only nine opposing—as clear evidence of “overwhelming universal rejection” of Washington’s policy.

Citing Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel’s July 26 address, Rodríguez said: “Cuba is waging a historic battle today…The current generations are going against the walls of a genocidal policy that has set out to suffocate the entire people in order to seize the country.”

He expressed gratitude for the solidarity with Cuba from governments, parliaments, international organizations, social movements, political parties and civil society around the world.

Rodríguez concluded by invoking the words of former Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, who in 1963 declared: “We will resist it! Because our revolutionary banner will never be lowered! Because the high head of this nation will never bow!” He also recalled Castro’s description of blockades as “silent atomic bombs” that kill indiscriminately.

“Socialism or Death! Homeland or Death, We Will Win!” he concluded.

This article contains reporting from Granma, the newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba.

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