Cuban Ambassador De Cespedes: “The hour of the united march.”

Good morning

First of all, I would like to express our gratitude to the organisers of the Progressive International for this great opportunity and privilege to hear Cuba's voice. Thank you very much, dear David Adler, likewise, to the Colombian authorities present and to Her Excellency, Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio Mapy, who has kindly agreed to my participation.

The fact that our meeting is entitled "An Emergency Call for Action in ‘Nuestra America'" is motivating. It embodies the need to rediscover our unity and to agree on a program of urgent action in the face of the serious challenges we face. It embodies a Bolivarian message and a Martí concept.

 That is why Cuba sees an extremely complex regional situation, where our Proclamation of Peace, signed by all the heads of state and government of Latin America and the Caribbean on January 28, 2014, has been criminally violated by the United States, dragging us back to the past of the Monroe Doctrine and a recurring and current Trump Corollary.

 The US aggression against the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is a criminal act of state terrorism. It violates international law and the United Nations Charter. It also constitutes a major threat to all countries in the world, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

 The unprecedented event that led to the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro Moros and his wife Cilia Flores on their own territory by a hostile military force not only violates international law, but also US and Venezuelan law. The US is pursuing a foreign policy aimed at subjugating and intimidating the governments of Our America.

 We are now facing very dangerous circumstances for everyone. Greater solidarity is needed, but also greater cooperation and coordination among our nations, political parties, and social movements to bring this complaint to multilateral forums, especially the United Nations.

 The privileged prerogative of the US in this hemisphere to overthrow governments by force, kidnap individuals, including presidents, and appropriate the natural resources of any nation is not pure speculation or unfounded accusations, but is based on facts that we have all experienced or observed.

 What is happening today in Venezuela could happen to any of our countries. There is no guarantee that this will not happen, unless we act together with a firm voice.

 Cuba is a country under attack. I have lived for more than six decades under an absurd and criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed unilaterally by the United States, which has been brutally intensified at this time and has been rejected by the vast majority of the international community, with most of the countries represented here voting in favor of its lifting. We are very grateful for this gesture.

 The theft of Venezuelan fuel on the high seas, in addition to constituting an act of international piracy, is yet another expression of the US government's interest in continuing to strangle our economy. It knows perfectly well that Cuba cannot do without fuel and that this would greatly aggravate the situation in our country, which is already complex, despite the countless internal efforts and the resilience of our people. 

 For this reason, we call for unity and the search for a common ground that will enable us to move forward. Only unity will lead us to victory over the decadent imperialist aggressor.  

 Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to pay posthumous tribute to the heroic comrades who fell in unequal combat against the US aggressors in Venezuela. On January 16, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said, and I quote: "US officials have acknowledged with astonishment, but also with undisguised admiration, the bravery of this handful of men who, at a marked disadvantage in terms of strength and firepower, offered fierce resistance to the kidnappers, even injuring several of their troops and, as far as we know today, partially disabling one of their means of transport." 

I reaffirm today, before our friends who are with us, including, of course, the children of Martin Luther King and George Washington who are here today, that Cuba will not be intimidated, that we will not accept threats, and that we would rather sink into the sea than betray the glory and bloodshed by our martyrs throughout our history. 

Cuba reaffirms its total willingness to talk with the U.S. government. This has always been our message, but on equal terms and without pressure. Respecting the most sacred thing we have, our sovereignty and independence. 

I conclude with a thought from our National Hero José Martí, which is still very relevant today: "We can no longer be the people of leaves, living in the air, with our crowns laden with flowers, crackling or buzzing, depending on whether they are caressed by the whim of the light or beaten and felled by storms; the trees must stand in line so that the seven-league giant cannot pass! It is time to take stock and march together, and we must walk in tight formation, like silver at the roots of the Andes."

Until victory, always, convinced that we will win!