Colombian Gov’t reaffirms support for Cuba against US blockade

Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Jorge Rojas reaffirmed his country's willingness to support Cuba in its fight against the blockade imposed by the United States for more than six decades, which, he acknowledged, harms the people.
 
In exclusive statements to Prensa Latina, the deputy foreign minister noted that his government has a very clear foreign policy expressed by President Gustavo Petro, which demands Cuba’s exclusion from the State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list because it is an unfair classification.

Rojas made those statements at the Foreign Ministry in this capital, after a meeting with Cuban Ambassador Javier Caamaño; Gloria Flórez, a senator from the Historic Pact; members of the Cuba Solidarity Movement, and other officials and representatives of civil society.

The reason for the meeting was the announcement of the departure an Air Force plane on Saturday carrying a solidarity shipment to Cuba consisting of non-perishable food, medicines, transformers and other electrical appliances.

According to the deputy foreign minister, sending the aid is “a gesture of solidarity accompanied by a clear political statement from the Government of Colombia: the rejection of the blockade and the inclusion of Cuba in the list of countries sponsoring terrorism.”

Rojas will travel to Cuba at the head of a delegation that will deliver the donations in Havana and will take the opportunity to meet with his Cuban counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal.

He said that he expected to discuss with her counterpart the issues to be debated at the High Level Political Dialogue scheduled to take place between the parties next February.

Another member of the delegation will be Senator Gloria Flórez, who leads the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Cuba.

The congresswoman told Prensa Latina that this show of friendship reveals the deep commitment to Cuba, whose contribution she described as vital in the construction of peace in her country.

Symbolically, this is an important step, but the idea is to continue to strengthen the ties of brotherhood and solidarity so that, in the name of President Gustavo Petro and his people, the work of accompaniment and solidarity can be consolidated.

“For us, the most important thing today, in addition to this exercise of solidarity, is to work to remove the island from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, a profoundly absurd measure very far from reality, because what Cuba has done is accompanying the peace efforts in Colombia,” she stressed.

Jaime Caicedo, president of the Colombian Communist Party, who also helped collect the products that will arrive in Havana in the next few hours, said that the contribution means more than the delivery of material aid.

He considered that it entails a political act of support for and recognition of Cuba, its Revolution and its people, who are distinguished by their solidarity and friendship with Colombia.