tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79172242836578418992024-03-12T10:10:01.094-04:00Nova Scotia Cuba AssociationForging ties of friendship between Canada and Cuba since 1989Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-30718803384552604832024-03-12T09:58:00.002-04:002024-03-12T09:58:31.699-04:00<p> </p><p>From Canadian Network on Cuba: </p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Cuba and Africa"</b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_qLSpooeWQk" width="459" youtube-src-id="_qLSpooeWQk"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/2024/02/27/cnc-podcast-episode-1/">https://canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/2024/02/27/cnc-podcast-episode-1/</a></span></div><p></p><div class="gE iv gt" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; cursor: auto; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; padding: 20px 0px 0px;"><br /></div><div class="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div class="ii gt" id=":rd" jslog="20277; u014N:xr6bB; 1:WyIjdGhyZWFkLWY6MTc5MzMyNzIxMjgwNTg0MDEzOSJd; 4:WyIjbXNnLWY6MTc5MzMyNzIxMjgwNTg0MDEzOSJd" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 0.875rem; margin: 8px 0px 0px; overflow-x: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="a3s aiL " id=":rc" style="direction: initial; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: small; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.5; overflow: auto hidden; position: relative;"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="color: #666666; font-family: georgia, serif;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" class="cf gJ" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-collapse: collapse; display: block; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; margin-top: 0px; width: auto;"><tbody style="display: block;"><tr class="acZ xD" style="display: flex; height: auto;"><td colspan="3" style="margin: 0px;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-12434898277882555802024-03-03T21:59:00.001-04:002024-03-03T21:59:23.415-04:00<p> <b style="color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 25.5pt;">Cubans march en masse against Israel's genocide in Gaza</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thousands of Cubans demonstrated this Saturday throughout the country in support of Palestine and against Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip. </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In Havana, the capital, a massive rally led by the president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, was held in the Plaza de la Tribuna Antiimperialista José Martí in front of the United States Embassy to denounce the complicity of the US government in the massacre in Loop. The event was attended by the Palestinian ambassador to Cuba, Akram Samhan.</span></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0cm;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hispantv.com/noticias/cuba/580127/eeuu-complice-israel-genocidio-palestinos&source=gmail&ust=1709603413533000&usg=AOvVaw0qzHur5dHlmjdz2lfVkMr1" href="https://www.hispantv.com/noticias/cuba/580127/eeuu-complice-israel-genocidio-palestinos" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" title="Cuba: The US is complicit with Israel in the genocide of the Palestinians"><span style="color: #428bca;">Cuba: The US is complicit with Israel in the genocide of the Palestinians</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The mobilizations on the island called by the Union of Young Communists (UJC) and social organizations, as throughout the world, have taken place before the announcement of the new offensive of the Israeli regime against the overpopulated city of Rafah (in the south of Gaza Strip, which hosts more than a million Palestinian refugees).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://videos.hispantv.com/hispantv/20240302/cuba-ok.mp4" rel="nofollow">Cubans against Israel's genocide in Gaza</a></span></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-42729079677036882212024-03-02T17:51:00.000-04:002024-03-02T17:51:05.610-04:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHngqhHUcf25gB1wYjBAo04CUgoOkcBVhTw6aZP_t_OOEq-gAo8qAFLMJctkOSg2TDGuiyoVGvMRd0UL-AWmFG6L97z4zvSiVhPk0ANTKJN3bXvBBPVZZKS3ktJlXAW0rAA4-jq3ouGBj6Z1DuBQDGO7VLpGuW95B_o_7dwgZycv59-qW_NI11N_bOcvQF/s641/Music-Medicine-Poster-2024-v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="414" height="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHngqhHUcf25gB1wYjBAo04CUgoOkcBVhTw6aZP_t_OOEq-gAo8qAFLMJctkOSg2TDGuiyoVGvMRd0UL-AWmFG6L97z4zvSiVhPk0ANTKJN3bXvBBPVZZKS3ktJlXAW0rAA4-jq3ouGBj6Z1DuBQDGO7VLpGuW95B_o_7dwgZycv59-qW_NI11N_bOcvQF/w349-h539/Music-Medicine-Poster-2024-v2.jpg" width="349" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-27831096347093086662024-02-26T13:29:00.000-04:002024-02-26T13:29:27.061-04:00<p> </p><div align="center">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Dr. Rosemari Mealy Receives Proclamation </b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">From New York City Council.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Friends, we want to recognize our very own </p><p class="MsoNormal">Dr. Rosemari Mealy, a long time social justice </p><p class="MsoNormal">and human rights activist and member of the </p><p class="MsoNormal">IFCO Board of Directors, one of six Black women </p><p class="MsoNormal">recognized and honored for their demonstrated </p><p class="MsoNormal">accomplishments as Black Girls and Women </p><p class="MsoNormal">who "Strengthen Our City Today."</p><p class="MsoNormal">The standing room only celebration, called "Black </p><p class="MsoNormal">Girl Magic Day" on Thursday, February 15th, </p><p class="MsoNormal">2023, featuring Proclamations presented by the </p><p class="MsoNormal">New York City Council at the City Hall Chamber.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Dr. mealy was nominated for this prestigious award </p><p class="MsoNormal">by City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Dr. Mealy was acknowledge for:</p><p class="MsoNormal">Being a member of the Black Panther Party </p><p class="MsoNormal">in her youth.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Authoring several books and publications.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Her outstanding achievements in academia including</p><p class="MsoNormal">her more than 25 years as professor at City College </p><p class="MsoNormal">where she impacted the lives of thousands.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Being a graduate of CUNY Law School, and being </p><p class="MsoNormal">a partisan of the Cuban Revolution, where for years </p><p class="MsoNormal">she has worked in solidarity efforts, remaining fully </p><p class="MsoNormal">engaged as an activist for international human rights, </p><p class="MsoNormal">including her unflinching support of the Cuban </p><p class="MsoNormal">Revolution where for years she focused her solidarity </p><p class="MsoNormal">efforts calling on the US to lift the US government's </p><p class="MsoNormal">brutal blockade of Cuba, engaging in a robust </p><p class="MsoNormal">campaign calling President Joe Biden to remove </p><p class="MsoNormal">Cuba from the suffocating State Sponsors of </p><p class="MsoNormal">Terrorism List.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The proclamation was presented by City Council </p><p class="MsoNormal">Members Althea Stevens and Farah Louis.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Dr. Mealy concluded her remarks by thanking </p><p class="MsoNormal">the council for passing the 2023 historic Resolution </p><p class="MsoNormal">opposing the US government's Blockade against Cuba.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Then, staring up at the huge portraits of white men </p><p class="MsoNormal">adorning the walls of the chamber packed with </p><p class="MsoNormal">hundreds of Black women for this historic occasion, </p><p class="MsoNormal">Dr. Mealy remarked "this is gonna change" </p><p class="MsoNormal">to a response of cheers and applause.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Among those who congratulated Dr. Mealy was </p><p class="MsoNormal">Ivan Casal,diplomat from Cuba's Permanent Mission </p><p class="MsoNormal">to the United Nations.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></h2><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><td style="padding: 6.75pt 6.75pt 6.75pt 6.75pt;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-table-anchor-horizontal: column; mso-table-anchor-vertical: paragraph; mso-table-left: left; mso-table-lspace: 2.25pt; mso-table-rspace: 2.25pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><td style="padding: 0in 6.75pt 0in 6.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWzJ5rnSWeR7qT9ayva82dTALA5SwPBW7mRIHUbZ8DG-VwIrcMzCUHUi8lvmaI8ohYM11Pev04hY7Ayx9ooZ1K_0ldKM6OoTr0Wcpx40Rv3tQt1QKSGObiR2txruSL0at5PlJBu2FV6KNUykvSPWiyZYWA3yaQSRiL3ha5lj2oKpmIXHpYIUUV1H6jMrb/s640/MEALY%20PIC%20TWO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWzJ5rnSWeR7qT9ayva82dTALA5SwPBW7mRIHUbZ8DG-VwIrcMzCUHUi8lvmaI8ohYM11Pev04hY7Ayx9ooZ1K_0ldKM6OoTr0Wcpx40Rv3tQt1QKSGObiR2txruSL0at5PlJBu2FV6KNUykvSPWiyZYWA3yaQSRiL3ha5lj2oKpmIXHpYIUUV1H6jMrb/s320/MEALY%20PIC%20TWO.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>
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<p class="MsoNormal">In Solidarity,<br />
Organizing Committee, International Conference for the Normalization of
US-Cuba Relations</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://us-cubanormalization.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e6189a823089ae11cbac775af&id=415397db69&e=e95ce8d05d" target="_blank">us-cubanormalization.org</a><br />
New York-New Jersey Cuba Sí Coalition<br />
<a href="https://us-cubanormalization.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e6189a823089ae11cbac775af&id=cd052e25a9&e=e95ce8d05d" target="_blank">cubasinynjcoalition.org</a><br />
National Network On Cuba<br />
<a href="https://us-cubanormalization.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e6189a823089ae11cbac775af&id=b01125f870&e=e95ce8d05d" target="_blank">nnoc.info</a><br />
Canadian Network on Cuba<br />
<a href="https://us-cubanormalization.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e6189a823089ae11cbac775af&id=d95f5e1528&e=e95ce8d05d" target="_blank">canadiannetworkoncuba.ca</a><br />
Table de concertation et de solidarité Québec - Cuba<br />
<a href="https://us-cubanormalization.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e6189a823089ae11cbac775af&id=13b567f7d1&e=e95ce8d05d" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/TCSQC</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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</div>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-62056937337891521632024-01-24T11:50:00.001-04:002024-01-24T11:52:28.453-04:00<p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: 34px;">Who said you can't</span></p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.75pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7NlL0ZvwMK93Hbk4HJ2W8A7QnPyvik1CZu0VSwNTFckB-suclc4T6bXB4gdWW7JNosV70PHzunUJdSmjrQu-S9G_-VhRiKQlxKcWSoLTyXCVq9x5NQFzr73D35BX1ftE1aXXyusGE4g3oAGsuVMHT2S0UtBCyvTcqnn9T9KawpNDFzZS2qcCBfa1ZN1N/s700/cuba%20uno.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="700" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7NlL0ZvwMK93Hbk4HJ2W8A7QnPyvik1CZu0VSwNTFckB-suclc4T6bXB4gdWW7JNosV70PHzunUJdSmjrQu-S9G_-VhRiKQlxKcWSoLTyXCVq9x5NQFzr73D35BX1ftE1aXXyusGE4g3oAGsuVMHT2S0UtBCyvTcqnn9T9KawpNDFzZS2qcCBfa1ZN1N/s320/cuba%20uno.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 25.5pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.75pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-size: 25.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.75pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-size: 25.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.75pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-size: 25.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.75pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-size: 25.5pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.75pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.75pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba visited
social and economic centers in Mayabeque, as part of the exchanges with the
people, with members of the municipal committees of the Party and its auxiliary
bodies</span></p></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Author: <a href="http://en.granma.cu/archivo?a=2027" title="Más artículos de René Tamayo León"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">René Tamayo León</span></a> | <a href="mailto:internet@granma.cu" title="Escribir a René Tamayo León"><span style="color: black;">internet@granma.cu</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">january 15, 2024 07:01:21<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;">The proximity to the
booming scientific pole of Mayabeque province will allow students of the brand
new IPVCE to interact more closely with science professionals, including the
agricultural sector. </span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Photo: </b><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt;">Estudios Revolución</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Güines,
Mayabeque- The new headquarters of the Félix Varela y Morales Pre-University
Vocational Institute of Exact Sciences (IPVCE) was inaugurated this week, on
the occasion of the anniversary of the creation of the province of Mayabeque.
The new location for the school was much desired by students and teachers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
proximity to the province's thriving scientific center, the University of
Agrarian Sciences and many other research centers will allow the young people
to interact more closely with the highly trained professionals working in these
institutes, many of them luminaries in the basic sciences.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
students are also happy to be close to the territorial capital, the city of San
José, which, due to its location and interconnections, shortens the commuting
distance between municipalities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Besides
that, the building, a classic school in the countryside, was completely
repaired, although work is still being done in the sports areas and other
details, so the living and teaching conditions are very good.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Last
Friday afternoon, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and the
Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee, Roberto Morales Ojeda,
visited the IPVCE.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
visit was part of the tours through municipalities of the country to analyze
with the municipal committees of the Party, in this case that of Güines, the
priorities for 2024 in the political, economic and social areas, the assurance
to them, and the current debates and implementation of the recently announced
economic measures.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
relevance of the fact that this emblematic educational institution, created 30
years ago in the south of the territory, in Melena del Sur, bears the name of
Father Félix Varela y Morales, one of the most lucid patriots and intellectuals
of the Cuban nationality, was discussed by Díaz-Canel with the students of the
University of Güines.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Díaz-Canel
spoke to the students, who, together with their teachers, could not contain
themselves in the classrooms and crowded corridors and stairways to talk to
him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">He
highlighted the vocation of young people towards exact sciences, because you,
he commented, are the future of science and innovation; you -he added- are part
of that path that Fidel envisioned more than 60 years ago, when he said that
Cuba had to be a country of men of science and thought.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">"Of
science and thought, because sometimes this phrase is quoted and the word
"thought" is not added," insisted the Head of State, to match
the symbolism that a pre-university of exact sciences also bears the name of
Felix Varela.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
new IPVCE facility in Mayabeque was a desired school. The revitalization of the
solid construction has cost millions of pesos, including technological
classrooms and other specialized areas. And it has been done in one of the most
economically strained moments of the Revolution.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">A
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The La
Luisa farm, managed by the young land user Alexander Pérez Vasallo, has central
pivot irrigation machines, fertile land, a hard-working and tireless staff, and
a strong will and a lot of enterprise.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
results of this farmer give a lot to think about. In the potato areas he
achieves yields of 40 tons per hectare, almost double the national average, a
figure close to what is achieved in temperate countries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">He
also grows beans and other crops; he keeps a module of semi-rustic hens, with
about 300 layers that allow him to collect about 120 eggs per day; and he
raises pigs.... He pays his workers about 600 pesos a day, plus free lunch and
the systematic distribution of the products he harvests.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
successful management of his land has allowed Alexander to benefit from the
collaboration in the rural area that Mexico maintains with Cuba, including the
acquisition of agricultural equipment, such as tractors and cultivation and
ploughing equipment, with which he provides services to other producers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Attached
to the local agricultural company, in La Luisa a cooperation is being developed
with one of the Vietnamese companies located in the Mariel Special Development
Zone (ZEDM) for the cultivation of hybrid corn for the production of animal
feed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Alexander
plans to obtain, in the first harvest, 6.5 tons of corn per hectare, something
rarely seen in Cuba. Once the initial stage is over, after the experiences
learned, he plans to harvest between seven and eight tons per hectare in the
following seasons. In the coming weeks, when the harvesters harvest the corn,
he will plant soybeans in the quadrants of that irrigation machine.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As
explained -to Díaz-Canel and Morales Ojeda- engineer Héctor Ginebra, president
of the Mayabeque Agroforestry and Tobacco Business Group, this cooperation with
the Vietnamese entity, as part of the Vi-Mariel project, which the Asian nation
has in the ZEDM, has generated much satisfaction in the foreign investor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">According
to the project, 500 hectares of the best grain producers in Mayabeque will be
planted with this Vietnamese hybrid corn for animal feed production, although
the purpose is to reach 1,200 hectares in the short term.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
Vietnamese are interested in continuing to develop cooperation with Mayabeque,
both in corn and other crops, such as rice, for which lands in the south are
being evaluated.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">BUFFALOES
AND EL CANGRE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Since
2002, the Empresa Pecuaria Genética El Cangre, in Güines, has specialized in
the development of buffalo cattle, a strategy that Commander-in-Chief Fidel
Castro Ruz began to promote in the country in 1996.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Founded
in the 1970s to promote dairy cows, the entity, which is also the central
institution for buffalo genetics at the national level, specializes in milk,
yogurt, cheese and meat from these cattle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In
2002, it began its program with the arrival of some 1,200 specimens of river
buffalo. At the moment, it has almost 6,500 head, although to this figure
should be added the thousands of animals sold to other companies, including
stallions and females for breeding, in addition to those slaughtered for meat.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">According
to the statistics presented to Díaz-Canel and Morales Ojeda, the company
accounts for the production of 15.8 million liters of buffalo milk; more than
290,000 liters of cheese (more than 46 tons), nearly 58,000 liters of yogurt,
and almost 3,600 tons of meat.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Sales
to domestic, border and export markets, the link with non-state entities and
other initiatives have allowed El Cangre to enjoy financial health, something
that is rarely seen in livestock companies in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It is
far from its full potential, but in 2023 it obtained profits of more than 12
million pesos, a result that is still discreet, but which has allowed it to
undertake new initiatives and to benefit its 369 workers, 110 of whom are
women. The average salary here is 6,418 pesos per month, although those
directly involved in production earn much more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">New
horizons are opening up for the entity, which, taking advantage of the measures
that have been implemented to grant full autonomy to the socialist state
enterprise, is finalizing the details for the implementation of an
international economic association already approved for the production of
cheese, although they want to go further, and are also negotiating the
production of meat.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In
spite of the deterioration that cattle production has suffered in the last
decades, El Cangre, a company in which all the limitations faced by other
livestock entities in the country also weigh heavily, has managed to move
forward. It has done so with hard work, ingenuity and creativity of its workers
and managers. "It has done so despite the blockade," said Díaz-Canel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Before
touring areas of the company, including a children's house that benefits young
mothers from the center and others from the Education and Health sectors, the
President of the Republic had an exchange with residents of the El Cangre
community, who came out to greet him with affection and commitment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As he
would later say to the members of the Municipal Committee of the Güines Party,
and to the first secretaries of the 11 municipalities of Mayabeque, among other
reflections, Díaz-Canel pointed out, in the emotional meeting with the people,
that it is work, "work and work, and doing it with creativity", how
we can get ahead in the complex situation that the country is going through,
despite the blockade of the United States Government against Cuba.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">El
Cangre is just one example.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLSa5gxzR61YZOySUK0pHupdc_vVVCqo4lwMQWJpquPZswMfgFMteVZqOOl-F13e6aUfz_w6uN680STPZEFBu4IxXQQXl6S-3bp9BDl6MBv1vh_88gNlDfmDEcnemANW7D9tZXf3uAwA1hXOvWioZQQYD4jsjBh2A40moVbJlF_NvsFNHMsTcQ8_Zko2Q/s587/cuba%20dos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="587" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLSa5gxzR61YZOySUK0pHupdc_vVVCqo4lwMQWJpquPZswMfgFMteVZqOOl-F13e6aUfz_w6uN680STPZEFBu4IxXQQXl6S-3bp9BDl6MBv1vh_88gNlDfmDEcnemANW7D9tZXf3uAwA1hXOvWioZQQYD4jsjBh2A40moVbJlF_NvsFNHMsTcQ8_Zko2Q/s320/cuba%20dos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Photo: </span></b><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Estudios
Revolución<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-71390877710524138242023-10-30T20:27:00.003-04:002023-11-19T21:37:50.245-04:00<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 34px;">We cannot give up on the dreams of the prosperity possible for our country, our people deserve it like no other (Part 2)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 25.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Final part of interview granted by Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, to journalist Arleen Rodríguez Derivet at the Palace of the Revolution on October 12, 2023, "Year 65 of the Revolution</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 25.5pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4W11zskTdlEsuJ7DCMsb-w_L8w6SuEsiFlmrE0fGNi9V7nXQzeZxyuWP14yYjxSnowQjycuw_tYRDLdTNLgl_c6zW2z0Rs4QznCejiPnYEOSNAmqBW6HaEExvKqNrxbRjc2FQ0ZoQMhIpYIRhD69RN8l2uzTxuDN6FZ6mww8MSyw4MgWKEvRm6ibb1eH/s700/pic%20with%20arleeen%20rodriguez.jpg" style="clear: left; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4W11zskTdlEsuJ7DCMsb-w_L8w6SuEsiFlmrE0fGNi9V7nXQzeZxyuWP14yYjxSnowQjycuw_tYRDLdTNLgl_c6zW2z0Rs4QznCejiPnYEOSNAmqBW6HaEExvKqNrxbRjc2FQ0ZoQMhIpYIRhD69RN8l2uzTxuDN6FZ6mww8MSyw4MgWKEvRm6ibb1eH/s320/pic%20with%20arleeen%20rodriguez.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Arleen
Rodríguez (<b>AR</b>): I am thinking, there are people who believe that since there is no
tourism or remittances, and there is lack of foreign currency, this translates
into lack of foreign currency to buy fuel or to make the production lines
work.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Miguel
M. Díaz-Canel (<b>MDC)</b>: There is no way out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR:</b> So people say: "I have to leave".<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC: </b>There is a high migration flow now but this is not the first time we
have had these flows of migration. At various times, especially when we have been under
economic crisis, there have been excessive migratory flows. For example, the migratory flows of the first years of the Revolution, like Boca de Camarioca or Mariel in 1994. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">These flows occurred cyclically, when the
U.S. Government tightens the situation, inducing illegal, unsafe, disorderly migration that costs lives -which is the worst
thing.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Let us
go back to the pre-Trump period. The situation was different: there were visas
for citizens and it was easier to obtain a visa; there were consular services and more possibilities for Cubans to visit their family abroad, and for
families abroad to visit their families in Cuba; there were more possibilities for
remittances. All that changed with Trump. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">At
that time, even the repatriation flows were high; there was not
only migration but also a lot of repatriation. All brutally
altered with Trump's measures, which also aimed at creating an unfavorable
situation seeking social upheaval related to migration: consular services
in Cuba were cancelled and moved to third countries, and with limitations.
People spent more money to be able to acquire a visa, with more
uncertainty whether they would obtain one. Other measures were taken to close off our income from tourism. They recently adopted measures affecting automatic visa granting to European citizens: if Europeans visit Cuba they are stripped of the visa facilitating their travelling to
the US. These measures further impacted the complex economic
situation we face causing increased migration.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR: </b>All this while maintaining the Cuban Adjustment Act in place.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC:</b> Yes, Cuban emigrants are favored by the Adjustment
Act. So, what are we advocating for? We want a legal, safe and orderly
migration. Our immigration law guarantees that, but the attitude of the
US Government does not, provoking hopelessness and insecurity and favoring people embarking on very dangerous, insecure experiences. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Notice
that Cuban emigrants leave Cuba legally but join the illegal migration flow in
transit to the US. They fall into the hands of </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">coyotes</i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">, human trafficking networks and many lose their lives by land, while others lose their lives at sea leaving on unsafe rafts. A situation of bewilderment is created, it is very regrettable humanly speaking.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">People
say: we are losing young people, professionals, women of
reproductive age. Yes, all that is true. But why don't we talk as well about
those who stay in Cuba and find a project here. Talk about the thousands
of Cubans we see every time we go to the territories, in the most complicated
scenarios, with the same limitations but holding another mindset and a disposition to contribute, those who have life projects matching the social project, those who have very heroic
attitudes?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I am
certain it will all change again as we overcome our challenges; there
should be no rupture with Cubans who leave the country for economic reasons
or motivated by speculation made in relation to migration. In fact, we have many Cubans interested in projects in Cuba and who are moving forward, many involved in mutually beneficial projects for themselves or their families and helping Cuba advance. Many Cubans are committed to improve their lives, the lives of their families and of their country. There are also others, unfortunately, filled with hatred.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In this hatred, I believe, there is also a reluctance to admit to their failure abroad. Some
of the people who leave -I am not going to speak in absolute terms, fail to find the "American dream" and find themselves in a even more disadvantageous situation abroad than the one they could be in Cuba -with greater social
insecurity than they could have in Cuba. Hatred brewed
inside them makes them unable to recognize that the country of migration did not welcome them as they expected nor did it provided them with the possibilities
they had hoped for. So they turn against Cuba, against the Revolution, as
if it was the Revolution what pushed them to make the decision to leave Cuba. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">These
are phenomena, in the order of social psychology, social behavior in
times of crisis, when relations between Cuba and the US are very asymmetrical and marked (especially on the part of
the US Government) with the application of policies of maximum pressure towards Cuba, policies of genocide, strangulation, that provoke all these
things.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We need to know the real causes, the origins are; we
cannot despair. We also have to work with intelligence creating the
relations we want with those Cuban emigrants. We also have to come up with ways
to work with young people so they do not despair. In fact,
we have just approved policies for children, adolescents and youth taking into account many of the things that become problematic for young people; I believe these policies will help us overcome these situations.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In truth we have deep fiscal and monetary imbalances causing processes such as inconvertibility of the currency, accelerated
inflation, depreciation of informal exchange rate, appearance and
development of an informal foreign exchange market; elements present in
almost all countries today. I will not focus on the world situation now: we are concerned with our problems.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
most visible element of these imbalances is lack of supply in state
markets, with inflation; that is where the criticism of MSMEs we have just
seen is reinforced. These non-state forms have also found a space where the
State today does not have many supplies and, in some cases, there have been
abusive and speculative prices. Both, the dragging effects of the pandemic in Cuba and the intensification of the blockade also factor in.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Fuel shortages, for the reasons explained, particularly hit the
country in this situation and time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Social
problems have a lot to do with the situation of our economy. We have taken measures to counter them. There is an Economic-Social
Strategy including a program for macroeconomic stabilization which are measures to be gradually and appropriately applied to avoid further complicating our situation as the measure all imply big risks. Reason why we propose, as a principle, that everything we design and apply has a vision focused on people in
disadvantaged or vulnerable situations -women, young people, children
and adolescents, the elderly, just to mention some sectors. Our analyses are comprehensive; we can manage the risks and complexities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR:</b> President, I wanted to stop for a moment here. When you talk about
policies against racism, policies for the advancement of women, policies for
the youth, for the elderly, etc., sometimes it seems that it is a political
discourse, but they have concrete content in reality. Let us say, is it to
facilitate housing? What does the change in policy consist of?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC</b>: They all deal with different problems. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">First,
it is ideal to think that in 60 years of the Revolution, with all the
social work and enormous dimension the Revolution implies, all vestiges of
colonialism -including patriarchy and racial discrimination, have been
solved. We are courageously recognizing the work ahead creating programs to end discrimination as much as possible, programs that include legal aspects protecting the dignity of people affected and ensuring they do not suffer disadvantages.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In the
case of the National Program for the Advancement of Women, we not only increase possibilities for the advancement of women but also are in an iron
fight against gender violence, an issue that you know is very complex
to deal with because women at risk of gender violence do
not always report it; thus, there must be social support, comprehensive
work, education work.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Soon we are going to apply measures related to
subsidizing people rather than products; we will doing gradually by calculating/measuring the subsidy they will receive. We are proposing alternatives for Cuba's development. The
promotion of territorial development and the generalization of existing good
experiences. We have good experiences in Cuba that need to be expanded. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR: </b>Which are held via...?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC: </b>By videoconferences as I will explain more later. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">We are
strengthening local productive systems because they are essential to ensure municipalities are able to exercise autonomy and become the source of development. We are looking on
local development projects, for example, where several municipal companies have been created -like in food production.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">We
have a whole group of proposals to promote the development of companies through market exchange -in both state and private sectors with a focus on fundamental productions. We are taking, in particular, private companies from the illegal foreign currency market to operate
with an exchange rate that can facilitate better prices. We are limited, however, by availability of foreign currency for that market...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">We
have analyzed how to face wage-price
relationship -when to raise wages, minimum pensions and minimum
wages as it must be linked to a greater supply of goods and services to ensure increase in wages is not merely followed by increases in prices. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">We apply alternatives for people with lower incomes prioritizing their access to food modules coming to us by donation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We
have given more powers to state-owned companies, broaden their
objectives, to protect companies currently facing fuel
or financing problems and not having all the conditions required to fulfill their main functions. Our focus is for companies to be able to favor their workforce by creating goods and offering services improving the life of the population and guaranteeing better performance
of the company.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">All
these issues are part of the daily debate of the Government's agenda and the Party's agenda. There are many people working to move forward, including groups of economists and jurists.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR:</b> Many of them are here and I know because I see them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC:</b> This is a science palace, sometimes people criticize when we
resort to science and hold so many meetings but I do
believe science and innovation are going to provide our country with solutions. Arleen, there are no magic solutions.
People say: Why don't they apply the measures of the Special Period?
Everything we had during the Special Period has already been applied: decriminalizing foreign currency, opening foreign investment, opening tourism and stores in foreign currency. W</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">e have to create material wealth and, in the current
conditions, we have to be able to produce and distribute the little we
have with the greatest possible concept of equity and social justice while
maintaining unity. This is how we are going to get ahead and how to find ways
to to get out. It is not going to be fast. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b>AR: </b>President, these meetings mentioned with local governments, provinces by videoconferences, and what you were
saying just now, do they mean that the solution could be at the local level?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC: </b>These meetings with the provincial bureaus of the Party
in each province, by videoconference, were to be
held face-to-face during a tour...but given the situation as <o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">it was an expense we decided not to waste time and to do it virtually, through a secure videoconference system we have. We have done it province by province and this has not affected quality at all, we have been able to make very deep analyses.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">We
have insisted on the demand and fulfillment of the functions of state institutions in all areas because at times like these we observe
cracks that have nothing to do with the blockade or economic problems but with malfunctioning of state entities or institutions.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We
highly value the fight against corruption and crime. We analyzed the fight
against the enemy's plans of political and ideological subversion. We proposed to work in an organized way from the community,
from the municipality to promote development. When municipalities are able of producing, developing and overcoming problems then the provinces and our country
will overcome them too. It does not mean we are leaving the
municipalities alone or that now municipalities are to be blamed. We have to produce, to expand the offer so prices
decrease, to continue with social transformation programs in neighborhoods and attending to the most disadvantaged people.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
entrepreneurial system has to take advantage of all its potentialities, not
hide behind lack fuel or financing, do everything else it can do
without limitations:<i> If I can no longer do this, what
about everything else I can do? </i>Many companies have
forces that can repair schools, school furniture, polyclinics, hospitals, participate in the housing program, produce food
to change the food situation of their workers and their families. How many services they could provide to the
people, how many things can be done that are not being done. F</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">ood production is crucial in achieving food
sovereignty at the municipal level -what needs to be done in each community, municipality and how to control land use and use idle land.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><i>Arleen...in the midst of all this situation
I have come to rural communities where there is not a banana plantation, there
is not a grove of fruit trees, you do not see a chicken, you do not see a cow
or a pig, and you say: what are they waiting for? They should be producing for themselves and to contribute
to others</i>. So, we have to see all this, this is part of the process of
analysis of insufficiencies, errors we are developing to later share publicly and debate publicly...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">We
have talked a lot about the work systems. The Party has to take care of
everything with the Party's methods and style, without supplanting functions;
in taking care of everything, it is also necessary to ensure the
Government rules, the administration does it job, the enterprise, economic actors of the non-state sector, and social organizations play their
role in society. For this we must make rigorous and demanding analyses and there must be a strong link with the people...a constant debate with the population. We must continue
designing spaces through which the population can present its problems, propose
solutions, and be receptive to incorporate all this. We need coordinated work between the Municipal Assembly of People's Power (made up of district delegates, nominated, postulated and elected
by the people) which is the highest body of the State
and Government at the municipal level; and, the Administration Council (the executive, operative and administrative body in the Municipal
Assembly of People's Power for the implementation of everything it approves).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There to be coordinated work between the president of the Municipal
Assembly of People's Power, the mayor, the governor of the
province (who promotes the articulation of all national, provincial
and municipal policies without taking away from the autonomy of the
municipality) and Provincial Council of Government where the president and
vice president of the municipal assemblies and the mayors of all the
municipalities are present.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">All the
processes we are dealing with: food production, crime fighting, adequate
relations between the state and non-state sectors, territorial development,
innovation management, attention to people who have certain disadvantages,
attention to social programs, search for endogenous development potential,
strengthening of local productive systems, are generated in the
municipality and are done in the municipality. We have to
ensure territorial management is strong to make progress in everything we want.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR: </b>President, I would like to go into the subject of your trips abroad,
which also seem to me to be of great interest, but I would like to close this
subject of the national dynamics and the most recent problems. My </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">colleagues tell me: the most serious problem is communication. I know
that you give a lot of importance to that as well, but they talk about one,
meeting-ism, too many meetings in the News, in our media, and that the value of those meetings is little seen. Another phenomenon, recent, a rumor, fake news, saying that the availability of fuel was
going to be zero. The Minister of Energy and Mines and the Vice Prime Minister
and Minister of Economy and Planning appeared on television. The Minister
of Energy and Mines convinced us that this was not going to happen and announced a date: <i>"By October 3rd <b>Energas</b> must begin operation, we are
going to have a better situation." Ma</i>ny people ask why are dates given if we depend on so many external factors -afterwards there were
some of the strongest blackouts we have ever had.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC</b>: Before we get to that, I would like to talk about some
elements of your question.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">An excess of meetings but you can say encounters, workshops, still a group of people have to agree and have to build consensus to face a situation. We do that even in families...It seems to me reality is being distorted a little, without objecting that there are things done in an improper way and need to be improved. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Now, you were referring to the <b>Round Table</b> where Alejandro and
Vicente, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Mines, respectively,
reported...W</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">e are
not telling lies, the information we had and the perspectives we had at the
time was reported. In life,
unforeseen events also happen: the fuel ship came in and there was not all the
foreign currency available to make the payment so the fuel delivery was
withheld, thus the fuel deficit was extended a few days. Vicente did not tell a lie but the
information he had that day, situations change.
Every morning we explain the energy and power situation. We do this because this is what learned,
not to tell lies no matter how difficult situations are, we face them
with the truth.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i>We
always defend ethics in doing politics, work on the
truth. There must be law (the defense of what is fair) and there must be
culture and history which are antecedents and answers to solutions to our problems.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We are also going to overcome this situation, we work to ensure fuel shipments needed, maybe not abundance but levels needed to return to our normal -or the one before this month of October. We are working to ensure stable supplies for November and December.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Under conditions of pressure. For example, US agency tried to pressure a Mexican company because this company was "giving away" oil to Cuba. Pressure appears
everywhere and everywhere it is followed. One often sees posts and news in the cables (from the haters) where they are saying: a ship from
such and such a country is entering Cuba with fuel, in other words, there is follow-up on energy persecuting our country, all with the evil, perverse
objective of denying our country the fuel it needs to live. What can
one expect from people who act in this way, condemning a people to a life with limitations?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR:</b> Those same haters, every time you make a trip abroad, a visit to
another country, even in your capacity as the head of a state temporarily
leading the Group of 77, for example, or to a meeting as crucial and important
as the BRICS meeting in South Africa, they speculate while the less aggressive
ones say: "What are the benefits of these trips?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC:</b> Negotiations and agreements of mutual benefit
are reached in these trips, investments are unlocked, payment facilities for debts are
obtained and a level of international relations is achieved that avoids the
isolation they want to provoke in relation to our country.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This
year there have been many trips motivated by our responsibility at the head of the Group of 77, and we have not gone just as Cuba but on behalf of the Group of 77, and there is a number of international
events in which the Group of 77 has to be present requiring our
attendance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There have been political results, we have to see the
opinion on Cuba's participation in the Summit of the 77, in the BRICS Summit,
in the UN General Assembly. In all those trips, agreements were signed and almost unanimous support for the
condemnation of the blockade and the demand to remove Cuba from the spurious
list of countries sponsoring terrorism was achieved.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Concrete investment and trade agreements derived from those trips, which
can only be achieved at high-level meetings. The
implementation of these agreements requires the work of technical teams,
diplomatic teams, and negotiations can take months. We have achieved much in the last
trips and there is a group of things that are in process, to be implemented in the medium
term.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We cannot make public all that was achieved in these trips as the enemy is behind us trying to destroy everything we do. We know of
places where we have gone, achieved an important negotiation and
behind us the enemy has been pressuring the country in case to not carry out its agreement with us. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b> AR: </b>On the basis of these pressures or harassment, this
unleashed wickedness, on your recent trip to New York you had private meetings with American political personalities, to which the press, not even your press, had access,. What understanding did you find towards the situation
in Cuba?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC: </b>These meetings were an opportunity to talk, explain, put forward points of view and remove doubts these
personalities had about certain events in Cuba -due to propaganda, disinformation or discrediting campaigns against the Cuban Revolution. I believe we achieved that, There was understanding and there were people
who even embraced us. I believe we achieved understanding of the
situation in Cuba, admiration for what the Cuban people have been able to
resist and under what conditions we have done it and, above all, sensitivity
for Cuba's problems, a tremendous willingness to do everything possible within
their reach to achieve a change in the policy of the United States Government
towards Cuba and to get Cuba removed from the list of countries sponsoring
terrorism. S</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">everal people shared having felt pity for our people and shame for the government actions towards our country.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR:</b> President, Cuba has just been reelected, well, not reelected, but
elected, but for the sixth time, as a member of the United Nations Human Rights
Council. It has irritated many because there was a huge campaign
against that possibility. How do you see the issue, an issue that has been a
hot topic inside and outside Cuba?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC:</b> We are talking about human rights, an issue that
has been manipulated for many years, with an ill intention and a discourse of
double standards by the so-called "international community" and the supposed
leaders of that international community. Let us not forget that we have
lived through many events in which 50 States of that community of more than 190 countries, support something and that something is legitimized as if
it were approved by the majority of them because everything is manipulated.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Cuba,
a country with a humanist vocation, a calling of solidarity, a calling of service to the world, sharing what we have, not what we have too
much to spare and they have wanted to put us in the dock. The same Cuba sending doctors, not bombs. Cuba sending teachers where others send
soldiers. Cuba that does not intervene but cooperates in solidarity when
others "support" with interventions and aggressions. Cuba facing the pandemic inside and outside the country under principles of human
solidarity that cannot be renounced even under the worst circumstances. That is the Cuba they want to condemn.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I ask, with all logic and I believe also with all right as a Cuban:
When is the international community going to put the Government of the United
States in the dock for violating human rights? When is the United States going
to have to answer for the violation of human rights constituted by the
genocidal blockade it has applied for more than 60 years against
Cuba? When is the United States going to answer for stirring
up international conflicts as it stirred up the European conflict? And when is
the United States going to be held accountable as a violator of human rights
when it has violated the rights of the peoples of the Middle East, of
Palestine, of the Syrian people, who have constantly lived under attack and
bombing by Israeli troops supported by the Government of the United States? Why
has the United States never been accused of violating human rights, when it is
probably the government that has violated the most human rights in the world,
of its own people and of other peoples of the planet?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I
believe that the election of Cuba again to the Human Rights Council is, above
all, recognition of the coherence, of the courage, of the way in which we have
firmly defended our principles, and also recognition of the solidarity with which </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Cuba has supported others in the world. It is an expression of recognition and I would also say admiration, respect for Cuba and support, therefore this election is
a political and diplomatic victory for the Cuban Revolution, a victory for
the Cuban Revolution!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR:</b> Well, several victories in a row, which I think are the ones that
have made some people uncomfortable.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC: </b>Summit of the Group of 77, United Nations General Assembly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR:</b> The Summit of the Group of 77 helped us to see this world with its
complexities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC:</b> And it built a consensus within the countries of the Group
of 77 in the UN General Assembly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR:</b> Exactly, and Cuba's participation in the United Nations, I know,
because I saw it and I saw two opposing worlds, some servants "of the past
in a new cup," as Silvio Rodríguez would say, trying to demonstrate
against their own country of origin and absolutely in the minority there,
recognizing it themselves, and the North American people in solidarity with
Cuba.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC</b>: I will never forget: on a Saturday night, in a public
institution, more than 900 young Americans supporting Cuba and Venezuela.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR: </b>It was really impressive and moving. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">I am
done now, I will not take any more time from your family and your rest, but I
will come back to the subject of communication. Will we have to wait for
another interview you can grant to the communication team or to any Cuban media
facing situations like this one?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC:</b> I am always ready to communicate and I have demanded it from the comrades of the Party leadership, the comrades of the
Government leadership, all of us who have responsibilities, we are public
servants -servants of our people. We have to systematically inform the
population about the matters within their scope; and not only to inform and
communicate but to be accountable. Our dynamic these days: moving around problems we face and doing it in complex moments and as it flows on a daily basis.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There
is also a responsibility of the media, press media, to communicate with mastery, with professionalism, because people need to receive information in an
attractive way. I make the commitment that we have disposition to do
it. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
Presidency's Press Team has been considering the idea, and I am willing to cooperate, of looking for more systematic spaces so we constantly provide information to the population.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR: </b>You have asked your team, I am aware of that.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC: </b>I have asked the Team, and let the Team design it because
they are the experts and I have great confidence in my Team, which is young, talented, innovative and very enthusiastic and also puts much energy in their work, and feels our country's challenges with us, constantly searching for what can be done, to improve communication. I am
very grateful for all the support they provide me. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b>AR:</b> Well, it is leaked that there is going to be a space, which may come
out of the networks.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC:</b> And how shall we name it?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR: </b>You name it, you are going to be the Director, I think. I have been told that you are going to be the Director.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC</b>: I think it is too much to expect me to be Director, I could be a
participant.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR</b>: What name would you give it if you are going to give information?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC:</b> Give me a hint.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR: </b>You are going to give information.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC:</b> Is it official?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR:</b> Well, who knows if that is where the name comes from.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">First
Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, President of the Republic, who was preceded
by heroes of this country such as Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro, when he wakes up
every morning knowing that the world is not better because bombs are falling on
Gaza, or the issue of prices, food, climate change, etc., is still shaking,
where does he find the energy to get up and go out to fight?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC: </b>In the people, Arleen, in our heroic people. This
interview or this meeting cannot pass without having the opportunity to always
thank our people for their heroism, support, understanding and contribution. This is the reason why our Revolution is invincible: our people!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>AR:</b> Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>MDC:</b> Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Translated
by ESTI </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">(excerpts of Shorthand
Versions - Presidency of the Republic)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 25.5pt;">_______________</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 25.5pt;">We cannot give up
on the dreams of the prosperity possible for our country, our people deserve it
like no other (Part I)</span></p>
<div style="border-bottom: dashed #AEAEAE 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dashed #AEAEAE .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 5pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dashed #AEAEAE .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 5.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Interview granted by
Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of
the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, to journalist Arleen
Rodríguez Derivet at the Palace of the Revolution on October 12, 2023, "Year
65 of the Revolution".</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dashed #AEAEAE .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 5.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4W11zskTdlEsuJ7DCMsb-w_L8w6SuEsiFlmrE0fGNi9V7nXQzeZxyuWP14yYjxSnowQjycuw_tYRDLdTNLgl_c6zW2z0Rs4QznCejiPnYEOSNAmqBW6HaEExvKqNrxbRjc2FQ0ZoQMhIpYIRhD69RN8l2uzTxuDN6FZ6mww8MSyw4MgWKEvRm6ibb1eH/s700/pic%20with%20arleeen%20rodriguez.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4W11zskTdlEsuJ7DCMsb-w_L8w6SuEsiFlmrE0fGNi9V7nXQzeZxyuWP14yYjxSnowQjycuw_tYRDLdTNLgl_c6zW2z0Rs4QznCejiPnYEOSNAmqBW6HaEExvKqNrxbRjc2FQ0ZoQMhIpYIRhD69RN8l2uzTxuDN6FZ6mww8MSyw4MgWKEvRm6ibb1eH/s320/pic%20with%20arleeen%20rodriguez.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Greetings
and questions:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Miguel
M. Díaz-Canel (MDC) and Arleen Rodríguez (AR) exchanging greetings.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: It’s
late at night here at the Palace of the Revolution. Are all days this long?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">:
Every day, there are longer days and there are shorter days, but I have a full
agenda every day.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: I
have had the opportunity to take part in your agenda sometimes and to me, it
seems to be a little tight, isn’t it abusing too much of your energy?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">:
Arleen, we are talking about time, about temporality at work, which is a very
important variable in the life of a revolutionary. Times are complex, there is
a lot of news coming out in this world full of uncertainty and we do not live
in a bubble. That is, we are constantly following what is happening in the
country and what is happening in the world, and how global problems also
influence our realities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In
these conditions it is not possible to have an empty agenda. There is a full
agenda and I would say it is a demanding agenda because there is a lot to do. I
do not consider the agenda to be overloaded; it is full and I have gotten used
to work with it in all these years. This agenda specially responds to a
planning concept that systematizes the moments of work in a way that allows me,
in the course of a month and through different forms of action and
participation, to tend to each of the pressing problems of the country.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: That
is to say, do you design your agenda yourself?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: I
design it myself; I plan it myself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: How
do you do it?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> I
already have a work system I came up with years ago, when I started working for
the Party; I have been adjusting it to the varied responsibilities I held. My system
prioritizes visits, to the provinces, to be in contact with the people so I <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>schedule a group of meetings.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">People
say meetings can be bad habit, but there are reasons that make necessary to
meet. Excess of meetings can be a bad thing, but without involving the people relevant
to an issue and sitting down to analyze, review progress, project what to do
and work together around the table, everything would be improvised. At times I
am interested in reaching a particular group in a certain place to see things as
lived. One plans activities daily, some things one plans weekly, other things one
plans every ten days, every two weeks, monthly, this is possible only thanks to
a work system. I believe a work so systematic accumulates results and quantitative
and qualitative values.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I
believe in daily work. I do not believe these are times for an unloaded or easy
agenda. It takes energy. As long as I have energy, I will do systematic work this
way. Energy lies first in the challenge ahead and in how one feels
challenged; energy comes from commitment and will to face challenges and find answers
leading us, as a country and as a people, to a better situation than the one we
are living. I make the most of every minute of my work.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In
this planning I need space for my personal life. I do not believe that a
revolutionary can deny the need of having time to share with his wife,
children, grandchildren, grandmothers at home, family and close friends who are
part of the family, as it completes the life of a revolutionary.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: In
any case, we are living in very difficult times. There are many people who tell
me: "<i>The President looks exhausted, he looks tired,"</i> because
they see him with dark circles under his eyes, or sweating in the middle of a
neighborhood in Havana or in a province, or in his home province, for example.
There are others who tell you: "<i>He has bad luck, he has gone through
everything bad that has happened: a tornado, a plane crash, the fire at the
Supertanker Base."</i> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">And I ask: <b>Does Díaz-Canel think he has bad
luck?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> I
think those who talk about luck have to take into consideration the world we
are living in, more than anything we should say: this era is bad luck! It is a turbulent
time; the world is coming out of a pandemic causing the loss of so many lives.
When we all aspire, at least those of us who have a humanist way of thinking, to
a world with more solidarity, cooperation, peace and working for the benefit of
people, instead <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of a world embroiled in
wars, conflicts, where unilateral coercive measures are increasing to pressure
those who think differently, with walls rather than bridges built, where often the
poorest countries are targeted to be crushed; a world increasingly unequal, the
rich get richer, the poor get poorer, the poor have less access to development.
Living in these times is really bad luck!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">And
yet, I believe luck is not the problem…the problem is how we face adversity, misfortune
and those extreme and complex situations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In
Cuba, we have historically developed a way to face challenges, we do face the
challenge! And proof of that is Fidel and Raúl and their generation, the
generation that made the Revolution. They attacked the Moncada barracks, they
were taken prisoners, a prison that they described as a fruitful time for them.
Look it is a lofty concept for facing challenges: the fruitful prison! In
prison they studied, prepared themselves and grew as people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: They
did not see it as a misfortune.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> They
did not see it that way.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
voyage and landing of Granma with all its vicissitudes and difficulties; the
battle of Alegría de Pío and the meeting in Cinco Palmas, when the few
remaining finally met, Fidel said: <i>"Now we have won the war!”</i> He
defied adversity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Later,
in the years of the Revolution, especially in the early years, there were the
events of the blowing up explosion of the French freighter La Coubre, the
invasion of Playa Giron, the Escambray mountains and other mountains where the
gangs of enemies of the Revolution roamed and murdered peasants and committed
misdeeds; the rupture in the early years with the United States and the
beginning of the blockade; the October Crisis, which put the world on the brink
of a world war; hurricane Flora which hit the country in the early years of the
Revolution, when we did not have the current levels of organization our Civil
Defense system and our risk and disaster reduction system have, which also
caused material losses and the loss of many human lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">If
Fidel would have thought he had bad luck while living those moments in the
early years of a thriving Revolution, the Revolution would not have lasted as
it has until these days. Especially with all the things the Revolution has gone
through in all its years; we lived a Special Period once, and we are living a
very complex situation right now.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I do
believe in the possibility of turning setbacks into victories, a way of
overcoming adversity, of overcoming challenges, that is in our history, in
Cuban history. I believe in our history built, written by a people determined
to make their dreams come true, a people who has never given up on making their
dreams come true. It is so engaging and encouraging to face it, Arleen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sometimes
people say to me: "<i>You look serene in the middle of this complex
situation."</i> Actually, I'm boiling inside. Besides, there is also a lot of
feelings running underneath, a lot of anguish when I am faced with these
problems; but I have to draw strength and transmit this strength to the rest of
the comrades I work with and to the people. And then this decision not to give
up, not giving room to defeat comes. These convictions are deeply rooted in my
life, in my way of being and in my way of thinking.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> I
have heard you say that you are fueled by history, by the country and by the
people. Do you feel how that energy floods you? Honestly, because we are from
the same generation, and I have said: the day is too short...it can't be, I
can't do so much, and I get done, let's say, half of the stuff I want to do, I
can't always keep up with the rhythm you are carrying, and that is when the
question that seems rehearsed pops in. That is when anyone can say: "You
know each other.” Yes, we have known each other for many years, but the
closeness in age makes me feel that I can't keep up sometimes. I mean, it's a
schedule where there's no room for a change of program.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In
fact, we are doing this interview at this hour because you told us: "<i>When
I finish my agenda for the day."</i> Today you had important meetings in your
agenda.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Now I
want to talk about the critics, about those who say that it is not bad luck,
but bad administration of the country: those who said that the Restructuring
was done at the wrong time; it is a good measure, but the timing was not the
right one. That the bankarization, which is also an excellent measure, is
executed at the wrong time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">How
would you respond to them (the critics)?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: They
have the right to criticize. I believe that there is no perfect work. It would
be ideal to think everything has been done well, everything is perfect, we are
right about everything. We are living in a situation of maximum pressure. They
have put us in a situation of maximum pressure: of economic asphyxiation, to
provoke the collapse of the Revolution and to fracture the unity between leadership
and people to obliterate the work of the Revolution. This is expressed in the
financial persecution, the intensification of the blockade, the enormous,
ongoing campaign of subversion. It has recently come to light, you have talked
about it in your podcast (Chapeando bajito), the strategy of hatred involving
huge amounts of money provided by USAID and NED to other countries and particularly
to Cuba -to discredit the Revolution and everything we do.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Now, in
circumstances as difficult as these it is impossible to find the perfect time.
What is the perfect time? What is the perfect measure?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Let us
remember, we were living in a blockade until the first semester of 2019, we
were living with other shortages we do not have today; with complex situations,
but with other shortages. The economy functions in a very different way to how
it works now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this began to change
in the second half of 2019, when Trump tightens the blockade with 243 measures.
Then, at the beginning of January 2021, with only a few days left at the White
House, he includes us in a spurious list of countries that supposedly sponsor
terrorism, completely cutting off all other forms of financing that we could
have, a huge financial and energy persecution.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Biden
comes along and maintains those measures with the same intensity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
pandemic came and affected the whole world causing it to collapse. It lasted
three years, the world has not yet recovered from the pandemic, we have not yet
recovered from the effects of the pandemic either. It was already complicated
times, regardless of whether we had applied measures or not.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Our
main sources of income were affected: remittances, tourism, exports. We ceased
to have financing to repair electric power plants, buy the oil and food we
needed, buy raw materials and inputs needed to provide goods and services to
the population, we even lacked money to buy raw materials to produce essential
medicines.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There
were two alternatives: surrender or fight. Surrender meant applying shock
formulas, neoliberal policies and leaving every man or woman for themselves.
Fighting meant prioritizing human life, and after we won with the lives of the
people, we would continue working to move the country forward.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
fight for people's lives during COVID-19, did we win it or not? I think we won
and we did it in a praiseworthy way: the people, our health system, the
cooperation of the whole world, human solidarity and our scientists with their
vaccines won in a meritorious way. Imagine this country if we had not had the
vaccines on time. Imagine if we would have lived through the fire in the
Supertankers Base, the gas explosion in the Saratoga Hotel, intense rains,
floods and cyclones, as it has happened all this time? The country was saved by
the strategy to face the pandemic. The concept is creative resistance, which is
not only to resist and endure, but to resist and to overcome situations and adversities
to advance as well with your talent, your effort, the effort of the people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ghp07UTdlfndgH-IlByxU94D2k-aIK4OVboN6HiclLJcRIOdaA1a_iCkGq03qJbg2DJt1wEjDAPHefYrJYYWtHdldoWLUiw5fm2K3rBZuwEjfkwxpqtwM_jgvXrwUCANS3luaGuoZPIEMezJuuTHnwpKvsTajZv7CzDZh_CafK8XArjUFvIqWh5HkJGF/s700/covid%20vaccine.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="700" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ghp07UTdlfndgH-IlByxU94D2k-aIK4OVboN6HiclLJcRIOdaA1a_iCkGq03qJbg2DJt1wEjDAPHefYrJYYWtHdldoWLUiw5fm2K3rBZuwEjfkwxpqtwM_jgvXrwUCANS3luaGuoZPIEMezJuuTHnwpKvsTajZv7CzDZh_CafK8XArjUFvIqWh5HkJGF/s320/covid%20vaccine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">How
many countries in the world were able to develop their vaccines like we did?
How many underdeveloped countries were able to develop vaccines? How many were
able to control the disease through their protocols and their own medicines? I
believe that Cuba taught us a lesson in this regard and, moreover, we taught it
by sharing it with the world, by expressing solidarity with the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In the
midst of this situation, we applied a measure such as the Restructuring. There
was a group working on it ten years ago but the Restructuring could not even be
developed in the most propitious conditions. Now, is the inflation today caused
by the Restructuring? I think this is a subject to be discussed. I am not going
to say whether more or less, but without the Restructuring there would have
been inflation nonetheless.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> And
why is the outside world discussing it?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Why
is there inflation in the world and they have not undergone the Restructuring?
Because, there were fewer supply options than could not meet the demand, due to
all these problems. What happened is that it would have been an inflation where
the wage-price ratio had the absolute magnitude of that time, which in absolute
terms would have been lower than the absolute magnitude it has now; but in
percentage terms, the purchasing power of the wage in relation to prices would
have been more or less the same, because there would have been the same
disproportions between supply and demand.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Recently
we have had to apply bankarization. The bankarization is necessary, we are
creating the conditions and it has been said that it is a gradual process. What
happens is that bankarization also comes at a time when we do not have cash,
for other reasons. If we did not apply bankarization the cash deficit would
have been greater, with bankarization we immediately obtained a response: more
money will start to come in, more cash will be deposited in the Central Bank
and it will come out of circulation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We are
not closed-minded or dogmatic, we are making an exhaustive analysis of all the
antecedents of the Restructuring, where we could have made mistakes, where we
could have done wrong and also what factors influenced negatively on the
implementation of the Restructuring even if we had done everything right.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We are
doing the same with bankarization almost on a daily basisl; we analyze it every
week. This critical analysis will be shared with the population as we have
every intention of adjusting, as soon as possible, the deviations that may
exist in the measures we apply.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We do
that every day with everything that happens, and we are constantly looking at
what the economists are proposing, what the people are proposing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: Do
you read it?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> We
read it, we study it, and I assign it as homework to other people. We do not
deny any of it, we agree with most of it, what happens is that many of the
things proposed, which we are convinced about and which are part of our
Macroeconomic Stabilization (Measures) Program (MSMEs) to be implemented need foreign
currency and that is what we do not have today.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">For
example, we need to expand the foreign exchange market and I agree, but what are
we to change without foreign currency to make changes. Today the foreign
currency we have is giving us enough to buy a little fuel, which is not enough,
and to fractionally distribute the basic commodities and other inputs needed to
maintain the vitality and basic needs of the population.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We are
willing to make the critical analysis required, rectify errors and analyze specific
situations. We are not standing still, but in economy, every time you move a
variable, everything changes. I am convinced that wages, the minimum pension
and the minimum wage, must be increased. However, if we do so without increased
supply, prices will immediately go up even more due to the difference between
supply and demand. Thus, after three months we will be in the same wage-price
ratio average while losing purchasing power.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There
are measures we are convinced need to be implemented gradually, or wait for
another moment, because they have to be implemented in conjunction with other
measures.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There
is talk about why we do not subsidize people instead of products. We are
working on that, also in the Guidelines, but it has to be done gradually.
Should we take away subsidies from everybody in the midst of this situation? When
we talk about vulnerable people, we need to measure vulnerability. We are
studying a methodology to not leave anyone behind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We are
willing to subsidize people rather than products, measures may be applied in
the medium term on the concept of people or families closer to situations of
vulnerability. But we have to do this well, avoiding creating conflicts. In any
case, not subsidizing products does not mean to stop importing the levels of
food we are importing now. Even if we subsidize people, food has to be available
for everybody…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">These
are complex challenges that require much thought…everything requires a lot of
elaboration. Some measures that have been applied were postponed, for example, there
is now criticism about MSMEs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> I was
going to ask about it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It is
one of the action items included in the documents of Party Congress. However,
there are people who said that the MSMEs could be a neo-liberal measure. What
would you answer them?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">:
First, I think it is very offensive to say MSMEs are an expression of
neoliberalism…The existence of a non-state sector in the Cuban economy is not new.
Most of the land in Cuba is managed and produced by agricultural cooperatives,
credit and service cooperatives and mores. In other words, the private
and cooperative sector is not unknown in Cuba; it has been in the Guidelines in
the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Party Congresses. We reached a moment, due to economic
contraction and a worsened blockade; thus, a number of people found an employment
option in the MSMEs…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmDMrcVVU2LOtRLUUcbCuNuM_lJUf7N37maz7XcnbG978j2E_IozGPWIEiBVeX8VRY_j3XXXuksjb4cld8cnI_VfIc9Vqk8hYmVEPT3LHfXRjpXARcEaOmzlv4lF3ROmgvCa5GWrDwGmcsij9uPXYfHGgK7ssah7C38Fwl6Gae5fdFzHmhK-5FZ576Dw2/s700/small%20ventures.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="700" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmDMrcVVU2LOtRLUUcbCuNuM_lJUf7N37maz7XcnbG978j2E_IozGPWIEiBVeX8VRY_j3XXXuksjb4cld8cnI_VfIc9Vqk8hYmVEPT3LHfXRjpXARcEaOmzlv4lF3ROmgvCa5GWrDwGmcsij9uPXYfHGgK7ssah7C38Fwl6Gae5fdFzHmhK-5FZ576Dw2/s320/small%20ventures.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There
are private MSMEs and there are state-owned MSMEs. Who works in the MSMEs? Are
they enemies of Cuba? Are they not Cubans, people trained in our Revolution…can
we say that they are counterrevolutionaries, are they against the Revolution,
do they want to overthrow the Revolution? No. Let us not mixed things up.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Who
wants this sector to become a sector of fracture with the Revolution? The
enemy, the Yankees, they demonstrated it now when a group, with the best of
intentions, went to an event in the United States, supposedly a business event,
a commercial event, an exchange event, not a political one, but it was politicized.
Some of them had a terrorist at a dinner. Who politicized the MSMEs, those who
travelled from Cuba to the event or the Cuban Government? No, the United States
politicized it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">But
they say it shamelessly: "<i>We are going to turn this sector into an
opposition sector."</i> They were told that they were going to be <i>"agents
of change,"</i> and we have seen the reaction of many who have not allowed
themselves to be manipulated with these things.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Furthermore,
MSMEs have set up productive systems for goods and services. Is everything
perfect? No, it is not, it is also a very new phenomenon. They have taken
advantage of certain situations in which they are ahead of state enterprises,
because many of them go to seek financing in an illegal market in foreign
currency that unfortunately has been created due to the lack of foreign
currency by the government that would strengthen our legal exchange market to
which people would go more to if that possibility existed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Sometimes
it is easier for them to import, they are less blocked than the state is, although
they are also blocked. What does the business of many of them consist
of? They import raw materials and chain themselves with capacities
that we have idle in Cuban companies, and together they have started up
productive systems with efficiency.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MSMEs
have also been occupying service spaces in society that the State, in a process
of socialist construction, does not necessarily have to assume.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Have
there been deviations? Yes, some have sold at very high prices and abused
prices, used speculative prices…But there are State entities that have also
done it. In other words, these deviations are present within all the actors of
the economy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Now we
are making an analysis. Two years after this process became more intense and
dynamic, we have the right to make assessments, which we are sharing with
representatives of this sector and of the state sector. And we are going to
organize or perfect appropriate relations between the state sector and the
non-state sector. We want to make clear, precise and coherent rules that do not
allow distortions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Those
who accuse us of being neoliberals should inform themselves more. If we had
applied neo-liberal formulas we would have solved the problem of 1% of the
population, while the rest will be every man for himself. No. We are in a very
difficult situation, but we continue to share a basic food basket with
everyone, even with those who do not need it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In
addition, in the midst of this entire situation, the country approved a program
against racial discrimination. Isn't that attending vulnerability or a group of
people who may be at a social disadvantage?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We
have implemented a program for the advancement of women, isn't that also
addressing situations of social disadvantage?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We
have gone through a process of social transformation in the neighborhoods with
popular participation and not only with assistance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We
have approved a policy oriented to children, youth and adolescents, which will
end with a law.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We
have continued developing and maintaining social programs that were designed by
the Commander in Chief in another moment of the Revolution. For example, the
programs of the Battle of Ideas, which are well known, and they are still supported
by that economy that many times we criticize, oriented to society.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In
addition, we have not raised rates. Today we have companies and workers of
state-owned companies at a disadvantage for not raising tariffs to the
population in the midst of this situation. The electro-energy workers are at a
disadvantage as the price of fuel goes up and expenses of companies generating electricity
go up; however, electricity tariffs for the population is not raised, therefore
these workers earn less and less while continue providing a service to the
population, and we all know the heroism of the electro-energy workers in all
these times of energy crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Our public
transportation companies are almost bankrupt, because we have not raised public
transportation fares.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There
are luxuries that we will not be able to afford for a while, but we continue
being supportive and trying to take care of everyone. We have inequalities, and
some inequalities have been generated since the Special Period, they are not
new. They have accumulated and perhaps they are observed with greater dimension
in complicated moments because we are living a crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In
recent times, when there have been hurricanes, when there have been natural
disasters, when there have been accidents, what has been done with the people
who have been affected by those disasters? There has been solidarity from the
state institutions and the people, and work to attend them all. Then, how can
we think that what we are applying is neo-liberalism? We apply an enormous
desire to continue perfecting socialism. And to build socialism with what we
can make possible today in the current circumstances, without denying and
without compromising the future of socialist construction that we will reach
when we overcome these circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">And
the other thing, which is a certainty: the fundamental means of production
continue to belong to the people as represented by the State. The main means of
production are not in private hands nor are they managed by the private sector.
They are managed by state enterprises, they are the property of our people and there
will be no privatization of those fundamental means of production. We have to
carry out a heroic work of creation. We have to heroically and creatively build
the socialism of the 21st century in Cuba. This is what it is all about.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I am
willing to discuss these issues and to listen, but not if it is slander. Not
always with intention but still insulting -I am not speaking personally, I am
speaking on behalf of the Government and the Party- when every day we are
attentive to anything about how we can give a little more to the population,
how we can improve. We make mistakes? Yes. Those who say that we are
neo-liberals are also making a mistake, creating distrust and discrediting the
Revolution. We would have to see what they would do if they were in our
position, leading, how they would face these challenges: would they have the
courage to stand up and face challenges while continuing believing in the dream
of socialist construction, continue believing in our people and giving
themselves body and soul to the people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Now,
is it the ideal, is it perfect?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Moreover,
has the world solved these challenges? The world is complex, people talk about
inflation in Cuba, we also have induced inflation. But, Arleen, I do have the
conviction that we are going to overcome this for the better, to be better
later on and increase our capabilities in the present and the future.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> A
common friend, Osvaldo Martínez, a great economist, when I once asked him what
the Cuban model was, he told me: "<i>The anti-model, because we have never
been able to do what we wanted to do,"<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> You
are right we have always had to face challenges as they have always tried to
slow us down and stop what we proposed. We are going to achieve it one day,
Arleen; we are going to achieve it one day!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> That
is to say, we are not giving up the dream of building the Cuban socialism of
the 21st century, as you were saying.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> We
are not giving up on that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> We
are now in the midst of a complicated situation, as you said at the beginning,
a situation where, for example, in the energy issue, the availability of
foreign currency is again complicated, it has slowed down the processes once
again; measures have been taken that have stopped important production
processes, science has been affected, strategic sectors, health, the production
of medicines. If you had to define it right now, how do you assess, compared to
other periods, the situation Cuba is going through now? What would you say to
the Cuban people in terms of the need to understand, to comprehend and to
contribute to the situation we are going through?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">
First, an approach to the problem. For example, in the daily exercises we do to
analyze the situation, where we exchange ideas and criteria to understand what
we are going through and how to face it, most of our comrades agree that the
fundamental problem of the country is the low availability of foreign currency
because of levels of exports, because of the things that have been cut in
remittances, in credits (we are one of the few countries in the world that
works without credits). Other people have observed that the problem is of
production. I believe that the two problems are closely related.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It is
necessary to produce: if you do not create wealth you cannot distribute wealth.
Even worse because we aspire to distribute wealth in terms of social justice, growth,
social development, equity. Many of the processes to create wealth in Cuba
depend on certain amounts of foreign currency. So, there are two problems: we
are living at a time when production is very deteriorated, and we have low
availability of foreign currency. You can tell me: "It is impossible,
there is no way out of this situation".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Yes,
we can get out of it. There are reserves, there are productivity reserves,
there are savings reserves, there are things that can be done with a minimum of
foreign currency, and others can be done almost without foreign currency. What
happens is that we have to believe it. This is a political discussion; we are having
it now and systematizing it in exchange meetings held these days with the
provincial bureaus of the Party in each one of the territories. What we cannot
do is to give up the dreams of possible prosperity for our country, our people
deserve prosperity like no one else.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We
have to take advantage of the possibilities we have as a socialist state to
plan and distribute available resources to prioritize the production that at
this moment could give us more possibilities, and also to protect people who
may be in a situation of social disadvantage or vulnerability, preserving the
greatest possible social justice in these conditions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We are
in a moment of contraction in the availability of foreign currency. It means we
buy less food, less inputs, less raw materials. This has an impact on social
sectors such as health, education and the production of medicines, which
continue to be a priority.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There
is a path of remittances that has gone to the illegal foreign exchange market,
and that illegal market, due to the inadequacies of the legal market which
cannot counteract it, has become a place where illegal exchanges are made, and
where they almost fix the exchange rates and fix the prices of the products.
All this, undoubtedly, brings imbalances in the economy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AR:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> And
it causes migration.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MDC:</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> And
it causes migration.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Translated
by ESTI<o:p></o:p></span></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-73046949833360865002023-09-26T12:23:00.000-04:002023-09-26T12:23:04.475-04:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUdjbeFf2D8t--86olWu13CjFLwhUvpC8T6adsLW8c3Q1koWGF_42UFbCfp2vIWz0m7UZTk5Nea83oDo38U304E7gqwSpcGJp4N8IgdHsrve47GZlCUdwe5yRM4sA-KXhqhhd7LeVl0qMk7a6D3RTTPkXpD3d0tv8xrtRsDrC6nF1YRvoiSl8zpaQUfeh/s3300/CNC%20Statement%202023%20Attack%20on%20the%20Embassy%20of%20Cuba%20in%20the%20United%20States-page-0%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUdjbeFf2D8t--86olWu13CjFLwhUvpC8T6adsLW8c3Q1koWGF_42UFbCfp2vIWz0m7UZTk5Nea83oDo38U304E7gqwSpcGJp4N8IgdHsrve47GZlCUdwe5yRM4sA-KXhqhhd7LeVl0qMk7a6D3RTTPkXpD3d0tv8xrtRsDrC6nF1YRvoiSl8zpaQUfeh/w309-h400/CNC%20Statement%202023%20Attack%20on%20the%20Embassy%20of%20Cuba%20in%20the%20United%20States-page-0%20(1).jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsecZe0GDXxUbTE99NqkKs7NzUsWIjieD-BU20G6hfsF9i175n8VDfGcIfcglD5soPYjtgEVOR0f5Ur-9YhxIhrfOb4irbBVXtdf-dvOKk2zSM6NG6bN1MEtXvUw3VZpRz633RKaPtatrCjjevonN6-8bAzhAPkwnqXrKfhWLrVEc_6kdgMi78rJ3-jtj5/s1042/NSCUBA%20LOGO2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="1042" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsecZe0GDXxUbTE99NqkKs7NzUsWIjieD-BU20G6hfsF9i175n8VDfGcIfcglD5soPYjtgEVOR0f5Ur-9YhxIhrfOb4irbBVXtdf-dvOKk2zSM6NG6bN1MEtXvUw3VZpRz633RKaPtatrCjjevonN6-8bAzhAPkwnqXrKfhWLrVEc_6kdgMi78rJ3-jtj5/s320/NSCUBA%20LOGO2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
Nova Scotia Cuba Association would like to condemn in the strongest terms the
recent terrorist attack against the Cuban Embassy in Washington on September
24, 2023. A previous terrorist attack occurred in 2020 in which machine gun
fire were directed at the embassy. Clearly the US government has failed in its
obligation to provide security and protection for the Cuban diplomatic mission
in the USA.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">This
attack follows in the wake of the successful visit by Cuban president Miguel
Díaz-Canel Bermúdez to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly.
There he was met by New Yorkers enthusiastically expressing their support for
Cuba and in opposition to the economic embargo against Cuba by the USA. Despite
the tremendous hardship Cuba has endured during the pandemic and the ongoing 60-year
economic war that the US has waged against Cuba, millions around the world see
Cuba as a beacon of Hope and resistance to an oppressive world order imposed on
the Global South.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">There
is a long history of violence in various forms having been perpetrated against
Cuba by the US and its agents. It is time for the US to end its repeated
attempts to cause harm to the Cuban people. It is time to take Cuba off the
list of States Sponsors of Terrorism, an absurd accusation. We also call on the
Canadian government to condemn in the strongest terms this act of violence
against a diplomatic mission. Finally, we call on the US government to
investigate and bring to justice the authors of this terrorist attack.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Timothy
Bood, president, NSCuba</span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">September
26, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-76495363496661326712023-09-24T13:22:00.004-04:002023-09-24T13:22:46.721-04:00<p><span style="font-size: medium;">September 23rd, 2023: </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;">New York City celebrates Cuba!</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-M9JoIYxHTaTtAP8VWL7gLSKvG_DmsMyhsji07thTeSw1bp_-ABG_ilVq8O31-7j3OpByFb6v9zynwfZTXuxQLsPk9_VQvPD1vPcQqPWLAiKQZLdE_vp9GNQnfVZjJEQkQ4q8XRQzfYDEGgCyXsTziYmaFxCbYrsa703MR8nbgy1rZmU1vGhx1NM84Vq/s700/NYC%20sept%2023%202023%20tres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-M9JoIYxHTaTtAP8VWL7gLSKvG_DmsMyhsji07thTeSw1bp_-ABG_ilVq8O31-7j3OpByFb6v9zynwfZTXuxQLsPk9_VQvPD1vPcQqPWLAiKQZLdE_vp9GNQnfVZjJEQkQ4q8XRQzfYDEGgCyXsTziYmaFxCbYrsa703MR8nbgy1rZmU1vGhx1NM84Vq/w452-h300/NYC%20sept%2023%202023%20tres.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlP5Lby5dpsqVmRS-HXxLKVN9l0PHVl7F7JyiQdNUwgVytI1g8qLkFCKsb0F3q0MqtZgFgtaiCCW5FBJW_BMK7_DqvhPocRd7Y-3Gc6xF5FI4IESIM1UUJPWjPV9CFxjO1_rQftANAeQMFL8oOSvmXhnD56cCtpWvmZAyPs5ggpy-PZoLh7V1V2lt3UDWg/s880/diazcanel%20ny%20people.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="880" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlP5Lby5dpsqVmRS-HXxLKVN9l0PHVl7F7JyiQdNUwgVytI1g8qLkFCKsb0F3q0MqtZgFgtaiCCW5FBJW_BMK7_DqvhPocRd7Y-3Gc6xF5FI4IESIM1UUJPWjPV9CFxjO1_rQftANAeQMFL8oOSvmXhnD56cCtpWvmZAyPs5ggpy-PZoLh7V1V2lt3UDWg/w528-h297/diazcanel%20ny%20people.jpg" width="528" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoktzQqrRwqO4OEg6ma38BfAciRnvAbNa3vjL4ExRdYzM9q8rh89uSUjgecdhDFD_fhjGiPlge9t1C2wbDuZ4P8n78RIlY_dk0pC5bQERmDqXqtGkv2pzuIlSjQVhL_ozLfQXeCzJdwybjo-F0qtIw2vNC1DwJsiZAVYzviZDArfQ7zsKjBbsy-gzX6Nu/s700/dias%20canel%20in%20ny.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="700" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoktzQqrRwqO4OEg6ma38BfAciRnvAbNa3vjL4ExRdYzM9q8rh89uSUjgecdhDFD_fhjGiPlge9t1C2wbDuZ4P8n78RIlY_dk0pC5bQERmDqXqtGkv2pzuIlSjQVhL_ozLfQXeCzJdwybjo-F0qtIw2vNC1DwJsiZAVYzviZDArfQ7zsKjBbsy-gzX6Nu/s320/dias%20canel%20in%20ny.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;">NUEVA YORK.-Some day everywhere in the world people would talk about the justice of the Cuban Revolution or about how love had so much to give and at such a high cost or about how expensive it has been the Cuban vision of transforming our world into a "home" closer to all of us and more humane. Well, that vision turned into a knot in our throats this Saturday September 23 in New York City as we were talking about the Blockade and the need to put an end to it to allow Cuba its right to live. All good emotions came together at the Society of New York for Ethical Culture, where hundreds of friends came together in support of Cuba, the homeland resisting the imperial blockade. </span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;">President Diaz-Canel Bermudez and his partner Lis Cuesta Peraza arrived to this beautiful place to share a message: <i><b>Cuba extends its hugs to the people of the United States and all brothers and sisters in the world sharing a vision for a better world. </b></i>People participating began to sing "build the future, break the blockade" and "people united will never be defeated" in the midst of calls of "Viva Cuba, "Viva Fidel y el socialismo." Yvan Eduardo Gil, minister of Foreign Relations of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, joined us and shared his ideas about humanity, sharing proposals for a better world.</span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;">We listened to the heartbeat of the world in times of revolution. And all was animated by the music of Arturo O' Farril and Jazz Latino. "<b style="font-style: italic;">We are very moved participating with you in this act of solidarity, listening to dignified American voices, voices of the people of the United States, in support of Cuba and Venezuela and our sister revolutions while saying NO to the sanctions and the Blockade." </b> In his speech the legacies of Fidel and of Chavez emerged but also the understanding that their struggle is not only for Cuba or Venezuela but for the South, for a better world -</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">«a better world is possible».</span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The Cuban president shared how the US government denied Cuba medical oxygen and pulmonary ventilators during the difficult times of COVID-19. It was Cuban scientists who created the vaccines who saved the Cuban people and it was Cuban youth who fabricated pulmonary ventilators of high efficiency saving the people and the country helping control the pandemic. The vaccines proved to be among the best in the world and so were the pulmonary ventilators and the protocols developed by Cuba in dealing with the pandemic. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">«<b><i>Importantly, it was highly motivating, in this complex scenario, to receive international solidarity in particular in the form of huge number of syringes arriving from many parts of the world including from the United States, you sent them, he pointed highlighting the friends from the New York Society for Ethical Culture there today.</i></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><i>»</i></b></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES-AR" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-AR;"> <b><i>It is true, the imperial blockade hurts us, deprives us, causes penuries and difficulties, but it has not been able to bring the Cuban Revolution down, and it is never going to succeed in this. </i></b></span><b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">«The Creative Resistance of the Cuban people has shown that imperialism has no capacity to break our will or the </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">commitment</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> of our people with the Revolution and Socialism». </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">«To you all in solidarity the fraternal hug of the Cuban people, and a friendly message to the people of the United States and to all peoples here represented.»</span></i></b></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">We firmly believe Fidel's teachings: there is no force capable of defeating the force of truth and there is no force capable of defeating the force of ideas. </span></i></b></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Venceremos! </span></i></b></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Until Victory, always!</span></i></b></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></i></b></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DsAY4BegV0tXaBt-SR8Fi5avPQpc5G7fEbSH3BlFHYNpMbWQ5HoS6q1j9sTUjslZVeG5t0I0n8ZU-IMM97STTkyu4fcgGbEeFgKCHAJeUIHbZi2JL1VdwBIMCM5UA8iq_Mv3eM-_t9ds3MiAYxpv7F6UrByi1bdDgjP7lM2kk4iKnPDDROFqxhUQMO-h/s700/NYC%20sep%2023%202023%20dos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DsAY4BegV0tXaBt-SR8Fi5avPQpc5G7fEbSH3BlFHYNpMbWQ5HoS6q1j9sTUjslZVeG5t0I0n8ZU-IMM97STTkyu4fcgGbEeFgKCHAJeUIHbZi2JL1VdwBIMCM5UA8iq_Mv3eM-_t9ds3MiAYxpv7F6UrByi1bdDgjP7lM2kk4iKnPDDROFqxhUQMO-h/w394-h262/NYC%20sep%2023%202023%20dos.jpg" width="394" /></a></i></b></div><b><i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZf85IsKXtM7eXj6avIcIv5nUZTQknw0mkHclBmpd50YuW_Jc8a0kA4_1j7Ae1TLbNrBvwief932XAC1CGkiiMwrZNWCWMvyj4-MrmgWtKaVzfSnyjxq_t72QHggHf7UjebfQ3Jp2lio_dh-iLfXs2LaiXb24kPJtvQPE7wTD_pCoMqRxs4QSOVZPNv5lU/s700/NYC%20sep%2023%202023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZf85IsKXtM7eXj6avIcIv5nUZTQknw0mkHclBmpd50YuW_Jc8a0kA4_1j7Ae1TLbNrBvwief932XAC1CGkiiMwrZNWCWMvyj4-MrmgWtKaVzfSnyjxq_t72QHggHf7UjebfQ3Jp2lio_dh-iLfXs2LaiXb24kPJtvQPE7wTD_pCoMqRxs4QSOVZPNv5lU/w396-h264/NYC%20sep%2023%202023.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></i></b><p></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-54593192375272672222023-09-24T12:07:00.002-04:002023-09-24T12:08:21.298-04:00<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.75pt; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" style="font-size: 25.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Díaz-Canel: It is
necessary to dismantle, now, the international barriers that have obstructed
access by the developing countries<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="border-bottom: dashed #AEAEAE 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: dashed #AEAEAE .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 5pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dashed #AEAEAE .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 5.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dashed #AEAEAE .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 5.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeHLs-yURqrFV99ISgWVYBQRtss_VoQJ6r-Avjl9RqczufXNK431awLD7Io4OExvsE_NEHpebVcoHY1k_ArClwiUrPk8PXvNieWCoJfF7XOhO81usQUeqOes1xNX0vitR8FPfm_g_hauXblIP_HEOkIaVK9VX6rRuXn2CWrXvEttViq5IAOesaKW-nCxt/s700/diaz%20canel%20g77%20speech.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="700" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeHLs-yURqrFV99ISgWVYBQRtss_VoQJ6r-Avjl9RqczufXNK431awLD7Io4OExvsE_NEHpebVcoHY1k_ArClwiUrPk8PXvNieWCoJfF7XOhO81usQUeqOes1xNX0vitR8FPfm_g_hauXblIP_HEOkIaVK9VX6rRuXn2CWrXvEttViq5IAOesaKW-nCxt/s320/diaz%20canel%20g77%20speech.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dashed #AEAEAE .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 5.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: dashed #AEAEAE .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 5.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt;">Speech by the
President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, at the inaugural
session of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group of 77 and
China on the current challenges of development: the role of science, technology
and innovation</span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">September 15, 2023 Author: </span><a href="http://en.granma.cu/archivo?a=381" title="Más artículos de Cubaminrex"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Cubaminrex</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> | </span><a href="mailto:internet@granma.cu" title="Escribir a Cubaminrex"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">internet@granma.cu</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;">Your excellencies,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">
<br />
Distinguished delegates and guests,<br />
<br />
The warmest of welcomes to Cuba, the land of José Martí, to whom we owe the
beautiful idea that Homeland is Mankind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Thank
you for accepting an invitation that brings us together today to defend the
future of the vast majorities that form the bulk of that great and unifying
concept: mankind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As
announced by our foreign minister on the eve of the present event, this is an
austere summit; I hope you will forgive any shortcomings you may encounter.
Cuba is literally besieged by a six-decade blockade and beset by all the
problems that go with that siege, which has recently been intensified.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We are
also faced, of course, with the immense challenges generated by the prevailing
unjust international order; but we are not alone. It was almost 60 years ago
that our common difficulties and the hope that together we could face them and
prevail, generated the idea that led to the formation of this group. We are the
Group of 77 and China. And we are more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As you
will realize in the coming days, we lack a lot of things, but we’re not short
of feelings: of friendship, of solidarity, of humanity. Neither are we lacking
in the will to make you feel welcome. Here, you are at home.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">You
can also be sure that we will do everything to ensure that our deliberations
lead to tangible results, in the climate of solidarity and cooperation that
underpins the success of any collective endeavor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i><b>The
Group of 77 and China has the huge responsibility of representing, in the
international arena, the interests of the majority of the world’s nations. For
reasons of history and identity we have kept the original name, but we are a
lot more than 77 countries. Today we’re 134, equating to over two-thirds of the
UN member states and accounting for 80% of the world population.</b></i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Meeting
at summit level gives us the opportunity to deliberate collectively and at the
highest political level, to pool efforts in defense of interests of that
majority. It helps us find common positions on the current challenges to
development and the wellbeing of our peoples. But it also poses us
interrogatives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Following
almost 60 years of diplomatic battles, in the difficult and thus far fruitless
attempt to reform the unjust, anachronistic rules that govern international
economic relations, it behooves us to remember the calls of our historic
leaders to democratize the UN; Fidel Castro’s warnings that “tomorrow will be
too late” and an unforgettable remark by Comandante Hugo Chávez: “<b>We presidents
go from summit to summit, and the peoples go from abyss to abyss”</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Chavéz
called for truly useful meetings, which could produce concrete benefits for the
peoples waiting for solutions beside the abyss we have been consigned to by the
egoism of those who, for centuries, have been cutting the cake and leaving us
the crumbs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>This
summit is taking place at a time when mankind has achieved a level of
scientific/technical progress unimaginable a couple of decades ago, conferring
an incredible capacity for generating wealth and well-being which, in times of
greater equality, equity and justice, could ensure decent, comfortable and
sustainable living standards for practically every inhabitant of this planet.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>If we
color the space occupied by the Group of 77 and China on a world map, we see
two strengths which no-one beats: we are the largest, and the most diverse. The
South also exists, in the lines of the Uruguayan poet Mario Benedetti.
Considering the length of time during which the North has adapted the world to
suit its interests, at everyone else’s expense, the moment has arrived for the
South to change the rules of the game.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>“It’s
the hour of the furnaces, in which all there is to see is light”, José Martí
would say.</b> With the rights we - the vast majority of the Group of 77 members -
acquire by being the primary victims of the world’s present multidimensional
crisis; of the cyclical imbalances in international trade and finance; of the
abusive, unequal exchange; of the science, technology and knowledge gap; of the
danger stemming from progressive destruction and exhaustion of the natural
resources on which life on earth depends, we demand realization now of the
overdue democratization of the system of international relations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It is
the countries of the South which suffer most from poverty, hunger, indigence,
deaths from curable diseases, illiteracy, human displacement, and other effects
of underdevelopment. Many of our nations are labeled poor whereas they should
properly be referred to as pauperized. The need is to rectify a situation which
centuries of colonial and neocolonial dependence have left us in: it is unjust
and the South can no longer bear the deadweight of all the problems.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>Those
who built shining cities with the resources, sweat and blood of the nations of
the South are already suffering and will go on suffering the impacts of the
economic and social imbalances that favored the plunder, because we’re all in
the same boat - although some are ‘first class’ and others their servants.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>The only
safe route, to ensure that this world ship doesn’t meet the same fate as the
Titanic, is that of cooperation, solidarity, the African Ubuntu philosophy,
which sees human progress as without exclusions, where one person’s pain and
hope is the pain and hope of everyone.</i></b><br />
<br />
Your excellencies:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We
have proposed as this summit’s theme the role of science, technology and
innovation as essential components of the political debate associated with law.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We do
so in the conviction that the achievements and advances in this field are those
that will finally reveal whether and when it will be possible to fulfill the
ideal sustainable development goals, relating to: ending poverty; zero world
hunger; health and well-being; high-quality education; gender equality; clean
water and sanitation; solution of the problems of energy, employment, economic
growth, industrialization and social justice.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I am
totally convinced that, likewise, it will not be possible to progress towards a
sustainable way of life, in harmony with the natural conditions that support
life on the planet, without these premises.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">And it
is obvious that the transformation needed for reaching these goals implies, in
one form or another, the role of knowledge as a driver of science, technology
and innovation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It is
necessary to dismantle, now, the international barriers that have obstructed
access by the developing countries and the use by these of such critical
factors for economic and social progress.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I’m
referring to barriers closely associated with an unjust and unsustainable
international economic order that perpetuates conditions of privilege for the
developed countries and condemns most of mankind to underdevelopment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">If
these issues are not addressed, it will not be possible to reach the sustainable
development to which we are all entitled, however many goals we set ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Neither
will it be possible to narrow the yawning gap between the living standards of
the privileged few and the underdevelopment marking the conditions endured by
the vast majority.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We
will have no prospect of a world of peace, in which wars and all other kinds of
armed conflict disappear.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Science,
technology and innovation play a key role in fostering productivity,
efficiency, the creation of value added, the humanization of working
conditions, promotion of well-being and the guarantee of human development.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We are
seeing the greatest scientific/technological revolution in human history.
Science has changed the very course of life. Man has been able to know sidereal
space and develop sophisticated machines that automate even the most basic
processes associated with our existence.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
internet has broken through the limits of time and space; technological
development has enabled a connected world and reduced distances of thousands of
miles to a click. It has multiplied the capacities of teaching and learning,
speeded up research and endowed man with unsuspected abilities for improving
our standard of living.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">But
these possibilities are not within the reach of everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In
this context, UNIDO has stressed that the creation and dissemination of
advanced digital production (ADP) technologies worldwide remain concentrated,
with minor activity in most of the emerging economies. Just 10 economies -
spearheading ADP technologies - account for 90% of all the patents globally and
70% of the total exports directly related to these.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Far
from becoming tools for closing the development gap and helping overcome the
injustices that overshadow mankind’s very future, they tend to be weaponized
for use in widening the gap, sapping the will of many of our governments and
protecting the system of exploitation and plunder that for centuries fed the
wealth of the old colonial powers and condemned our nations to a subordinate
role.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">That
explains why, <b><i>in the midst of the most tremendous scientific/technical advance
of all time, the world has regressed three decades as regards reducing extreme
poverty, with levels of hunger not witnessed since 2005.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It
explains why,<i> <b>in the so-called Third World, over 84 million children are
without schooling and over 660 million have no electricity; why only 36% of the
population use the internet in the least advanced countries and the landlocked
developing nations, compared with 92% in the industrialized world.</b></i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Note
that the average cost of a smartphone represents 2% of monthly income per head
in America, while the corresponding statistic in South Asia is 53% and in
sub-Saharan Africa 39%. It is impossible to speak of technological advance or
fair access to communications in these circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
energy transition is also taking place in conditions of extreme inequality,
which seeks to perpetuate itself. The disproportion in energy consumption
between the developed countries (167.9 GJ per person per annum) and the
developing world (56.2 GJ) results from the existing economic and social divide
and also ensures that the gap goes on widening. Electricity consumption in the
OECD countries exceeds the world average 2.38 times and that of sub-Saharan
Africa 16 times.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i><b>Many
of the diseases that are more prevalent in the developing countries are
preventable or at least treatable. The WHO in its report on the world’s state
of health estimates that every year 8 million people die prematurely from
curable diseases and conditions. These deaths represent around one-third of
annual worldwide mortality. Average spending on public health per capita in the
Western countries is estimated at $947 compared with $20 in the low-income
nations.</b></i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>We
have a duty to try to change the rules of the game; we will succeed only by
mobilizing joint action.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">All or
nearly all of us are trying to attract direct foreign investment as a necessary
component of our development and the management of our economies. We sometimes
succeed in arranging for this to be accompanied by technology transfer.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">But we
know that more often than not there is no transfer of knowledge or help with
capacity building. This lack means that the developing countries find
themselves at the lowest levels in the global value chains, while their
research in health, food, the environment and other fields is very limited or
deficient in systematic devaluation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This
phenomenon accompanies the emigration of talent commonly referred to as the
“brain drain”: the practice of the most developed countries to poach the
preparation and knowledge of professionals trained with much effort by the
developing nations, generally entirely without support by the richest
countries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This
is a massive drain and a significant financial contribution by developing
countries to the rich ones, much greater, by the way, than official development
assistance, as a result of a migratory flow that is devastating for the
underdeveloped world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Another
reality is the tendency to patent everything, including life forms, as promoted
by the World Trade Organization. This is a practice that swells the
coffers of large transnational corporations in the most powerful countries and
makes the remaining economies more fragile. Thus, the rampant process of
privatization of knowledge contributes to widening the gap and limits access to
development.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>Patents
are part of a neoliberal theology, according to which knowledge can be
privatized, bought and sold like any other commodity.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There
is pressure on developing countries to introduce laws to protect intellectual
property rights, while conveniently forgetting that many industrialized
countries developed precisely by pirating products and technology outside their
geographic borders, particularly in today's developing countries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>Patent
applications continued to increase, even in the midst of the pandemic in 2020
(up by 1.5%) and jumped in 2021 (3.6% growth). Health-related technologies
continued to record the fastest growth among all sectors. During 2021,
trademark applications reached 3.4 million globally (up 5.5% on 2020). However,
it was uneven by region: Asia received two-thirds (67.6%) of all applications
filed, driven mainly by growth in China; North America 18.5%, Europe 10.5%; the
lowest percentages of total applications were those of Africa (0.6%), Latin
America and the Caribbean (1.6%) and Oceania (0.6%).</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
gender gap in innovation persists. The numbers engaged in research increased at
a rate three times faster (13.7%) than the growth of the world population
(4.6%) between 2014 and 2018. In 2018, the number of researchers reached 8.854
million. However, only one third of researchers are women. According to the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) men still represent the large
majority of those associated with patented inventions in the world. In 2021,
only 17% of the persons designated as inventors in international patent
applications were women.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>The
privatization of knowledge places limits on the circulation and recombination
of knowledge. It poses limitations to progress and to scientific solutions to
problems. It represents a significant barrier to development and the role that
science, technology and innovation should play in it. It exacerbates the
socioeconomic conditions of Third World countries.</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>S<i>uffice
it to say that in the midst of the greatest pandemic humanity has ever known,
just ten manufacturers accounted for 70% of anti COVID-19 vaccine
production.[9] The pandemic was a starkly realistic illustration of the cost of
scientific and digital exclusion, which took lives and widened the gap between
North and South.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>As a
result, developing countries had only 24 doses of vaccines per 100 inhabitants,
while the corresponding number for the richest countries was almost 150. In
response to the call for greater solidarity and put aside disagreements, the
world ended up being, absurdly, more selfish.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
World Health Organization has formulated the well-known 90/10 syndrome,
according to which 90% of health research resources are devoted to diseases
that cause 10% of mortality and morbidity, while those that cause 90% of
mortality and morbidity receive only 10% of the resources available.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In the
aftermath of the pandemic, our countries have had to endure extraordinarily
complex conditions, which they are still fighting hard to overcome.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>In
tapping financial markets, the nations of the South have faced interest rates
up to 8 times higher than those charged to developed countries. About one-fifth
of developing economies liquidated more than 15% of their international foreign
exchange reserves to cushion the pressure on domestic currencies.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>In
2022, 25 developing nations had to devote more than one-fifth of their total
income to servicing public external debt, which is tantamount to a new form of
slavery.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Between
2014 and 2018, global spending on research and development (R&D), increased
by 19.2%, outpacing the growth of the global economy (14.6%). However, it
remains highly concentrated, as 93% is arises in the G20 countries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
resources needed for a comprehensive solution to these problems do exist.
In 2022 alone, global military spending reached a record $2,24 trillion, that
is millions of millions of dollars. How much could be done with these resources
for the benefit of the South?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>Achieving
universal and inclusive participation in the digital economy will require at
least $428 billion to be invested in our countries by 2030, a demand that can
be met with just 19% of global military spending.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>However,
the South seems destined to live on the crumbs that the current system has reserved
for it. The International Monetary Fund's financial support for the least
developed countries and other low-income countries, from 2020 to late November
2022, was no more than what the Coca Cola Company has spent on advertising its
brand alone in the last 8 years.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>Meanwhile,
less than 2% of the already deficient Official Development Assistance has been
dedicated to capacities in science, technology and innovation.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>Estimates
indicate that 9% of global military spending could finance climate change adaptation
over 10 years (proposed by the "Global Commission on Adaptation") and
7% would be sufficient to cover the cost of universal vaccination against
COVID-19.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>An
international financial architecture that perpetuates such disparities and
forces the South to tie up financial resources and go into debt to protect
itself from the instability that the system itself generates; that enlarges the
pockets of the rich at the expense of the reserves of the poorest 80%[23] is,
without a doubt, an architecture that is inimical to the progress of our
nations. It must be demolished if we really want to work for the development of
the great mass of nations gathered here.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Your
excellencies,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>It
must be a priority to abolish once and for all the research paradigms that are specific
to the cultural environments and perspectives of the North, and that deprive
the international scientific community of considerable intellectual capital.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This
trend poses a premise for our nations: the urgency of restoring confidence in
the most dynamic element of our societies: the human being and his/her creative
activity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In
this endeavor, capacity building is key to fulfilling the promise of science,
technology and innovation for sustainable development.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We
recognize, in this regard, the merit of the Global Development Initiative,
promoted by the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping. It is
an inclusive proposal, consistent with the need for a new, just and equitable
international order, which rightfully places knowledge-based development at the
center of the priorities of the international system.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Even
though Cuba is a developing country burdened by great economic difficulties, it
has scientific capabilities that should not be underestimated and that are part
of the legacy of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro,
who, with foresight, identified this field as a mainspring of development.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We
have a government management system based on science and innovation, which has
become an important strength for the preservation of our sovereignty, the best
expression of which was the creation of our own vaccines against COVID-19.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">However,
for Cuba, linking knowledge to the solution of development problems is a
titanic task, since such efforts are to be made in the midst of an entrenched
economic, commercial and financial blockade that translates into significant
resource limitations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">To
name but one example, by political decision of the U.S. government, many
websites related to knowledge and science are specifically blocked for Cuban
researchers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This
is not the occasion for me to dwell on the impact that the criminal US economic
blockade has on our economy, our scientific-technical progress and our
development, with an obvious humanitarian cost.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">However,
I must identify it as a major obstacle, despite which - due to our strong
political will - Cuba has been able to achieve indisputable results in science
and innovation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I
invite you to discuss during these days the challenges to our nations of
development, the injustices that exclude us from global progress, but also the
value of our unity and our rich store of knowledge.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i><b>Let us
focus our reflections on the pursuit of consensus, strategies, tactics and ways
of coordination. Let us put on the table all our assets, let us maximize
synergies. Let us show the value and expertise of the South to those who seek
to present us as an amorphous mass seeking charity or handouts.<o:p></o:p></b></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i><b>Let us
remember that many of the unique nations represented by the G-77 and China
wrote impressive pages of creativity and heroism in human history before
colonization and plunder impoverished the destinies of a number of them.<o:p></o:p></b></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i><b>Let us
recover that fighting spirit, traditional knowledge, creative thinking and
collective wisdom. Let us fight for our right to development, which is
also the right to exist as a species.</b></i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b><i>Only
then will we be in a position to participate in the scientific-technical
revolution on an equal footing. Only then will we be able to occupy the place
that is rightfully ours in this world in which they try to relegate us to the
condition of meek contributors of wealth to minorities. Let us fulfill
together the honorable mission of integrating and improving this world, making
it fairer and more rational, without the permanent threat of extinction
overshadowing our dreams.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Excellencies,<br />
<br /><b>
Twenty-three years ago, at a meeting like this one, the historical leader of
the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro asserted and I quote:<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b>“As
for the Group of 77, this is not the time for begging from the developed
countries or for submission, defeatism or internecine divisions. This is the
time to rescue back our fighting spirit, our unity and cohesion in defending
our demands.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><b> “Fifty
years ago we were promised that one day there would no longer be a gap between
developed and underdeveloped countries. We were promised bread and justice; but
today we have less and less bread and more injustice.”</b> End of quote.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i><b>The
topicality of those words can be construed as a defeat, in terms of what this
Group aimed for and failed to achieve. I ask you to take it as a
confirmation of the long road we have traveled together and of all the rights
we have to demand the overdue changes.<o:p></o:p></b></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i><b>In
tribute to those who believed and laid the foundations; in the name of the
people we represent, let us see that their voices and demands are respected.<o:p></o:p></b></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><i><b>There
are more of us. And we shall triumph.<br /></b></i>
<br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-6102316121384904482023-09-10T11:35:00.003-04:002023-09-10T11:35:53.488-04:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DLGmnWCqBiWFmTYJSQOaYdo8jNgcdhKvg0-rjnzB0HUG8k76dfHgdWyYURkYPa1-491eh4ONt5Rpvcjl5SVe6jmCaf84A5992vrnsi0w4X3Nt40c8hWI8VctCCI0A1uvzdPdNpT_9bvwc47WkoqliQNCahES9YYHaw4G2AMdQWcFn0aUW7KLdWptJJ_l/s400/g77_2%20cuba%20summit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DLGmnWCqBiWFmTYJSQOaYdo8jNgcdhKvg0-rjnzB0HUG8k76dfHgdWyYURkYPa1-491eh4ONt5Rpvcjl5SVe6jmCaf84A5992vrnsi0w4X3Nt40c8hWI8VctCCI0A1uvzdPdNpT_9bvwc47WkoqliQNCahES9YYHaw4G2AMdQWcFn0aUW7KLdWptJJ_l/s320/g77_2%20cuba%20summit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Summit in Cuba of the G77 and China</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">for a better world it is </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">possible!</span></p><p>September 4 2023</p><p>By Rubén G. Abelenda (*)</p><p>On September 15 and 16, Cuba will host a new <b>Summit of the Group of Countries of the G77+China,</b> which will have as its central theme, <b>Current development </b><b>challenges: Role of Science, Technology and Innovation,</b> whose objective will be to draw up strategies to make our world better, more just and truly democratic.</p><p>The Havana event will bring together Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and other dignitaries, at a time when humanity faces complex challenges, and unity becomes essential to overcome them.</p><p>The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel when calling the Summit last June in his capacity as Pro-Tempore President of the G77 and China, stated that summit collective and practical actions in the confrontation must be decided which are effective to contemporary challenges. He added that “every minute counts in the search for solutions to the pressing problems of our people.”</p><p>He also expressed that scientific-technical progress is key to achieving sustainable development, but currently it is inaccessible for a large part of humanity and particularly for the nations of the South. Díaz-Canel stressed that the unjust international economic order has exacerbated the socio-economic marginalization of the always dispossessed, so it is urgent to build a fairer relationship and a truly democratic and inclusive order that privileges solidarity and cooperation among all.</p><p>Since the founding of the G77, in 1964, Cuba has been an active member of that negotiating bloc of developing countries, the largest and most diverse, the one with the greatest coordination, and made up of 134 States that represent 80 percent of the population. world and two-thirds of the UN membership.</p><p>The historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, was always a prominent defender of that important world group. In a meeting at the ministerial level in Havana, in 1999, he assured that “the G77 needed a collective reflection on how to face the new world realities to have access to development, eradicate poverty, defend cultures and take their rightful place "in making global decisions that affect everyone.”</p><p>Fidel highlighted that “we form a group of countries characterized by diversity in terms of geography, cultures and levels of economic development. That diversity should not be weakness, but strength.”</p><p>(*) Ambassador of Cuba in Gambia</p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-43824229834823944662023-08-29T18:16:00.001-04:002023-08-29T18:16:29.695-04:00<p> </p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Betty's hard work and fruits.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Cienfuegos -The Santa Barbara farm on the outskirts of Lajas buzzing with summer greenery.</span></p><p>Julio Martinez Molina, Granma Cuba, August 23, 2023</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9gx7Vp-M71eVNOq4601AjkCxtSMX8iFw_D4HP8IyymVOjmy3WA78tE46OhfhjW_W-iNpeuJtUVdtfJI2CHWnF4yiiUKFvQFq4kM0CRHw118d-4yDFjEIZNuIgFHH7BUhcE6mLH56mHcMX4wZFsIZoAnemH_0lCMmlCwUXvSfXal23J5C9su6E4Ow_1Wm/s300/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="300" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9gx7Vp-M71eVNOq4601AjkCxtSMX8iFw_D4HP8IyymVOjmy3WA78tE46OhfhjW_W-iNpeuJtUVdtfJI2CHWnF4yiiUKFvQFq4kM0CRHw118d-4yDFjEIZNuIgFHH7BUhcE6mLH56mHcMX4wZFsIZoAnemH_0lCMmlCwUXvSfXal23J5C9su6E4Ow_1Wm/w400-h240/unnamed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Photo by Juan C Dorado.</span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">LAJAS, Cienfuegos - The Santa Bárbara
farm, on the outskirts of Lajas, has large plots of land that are buzzing with
summer greenery. Its crops, trees and furrows have been bathed with the sweat
and hard work of Ana “Betty” Beatriz Ponce Mora, a farmer who has earned the
esteem of all those who have come to know her or shared her work in the fields.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">She says that everything there was full of sicklebush,
practically uninhabitable, and she took on the task, together with her son
Pedro, of starting to clear the idle vegetation. The first thing she planted
were banana trees, and the only way to make them prosper was to water them
daily by carrying buckets, since she had no hydraulic installations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">Little by little her farm thrived. She cleaned and claimed every
corner of her farm, until she thought about expanding his house in 2018, with
various spaces: a garden, the plantations and the small pens. All this while
working with his son, whom she guided step by step, this 60-year old woman said
while adjusting her traditional scarf on her head.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">As she said, the close presence of her first-born son Pedro
Miguel Nodal Ponce has been the beacon of her life. Today, the industrious
young man is 33 years old, but he still needs his mother's tutelage due to his
special condition.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">Both she and his son have not only succeeded in raising the
Santa Bárbara farm with food production, but their motto is to share everything
that is done there with the community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">Today they help, for example, with the delivery of compotes to
the children's circles, to the two senior citizens’ homes in Lajas and, by
Pedro's decision, they directly assist four vulnerable people, among them a
disabled woman, an elderly person and two children who are bedridden. They even
deliver the yogurt, milk, juices and fruits they produce to them, he says.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">Betty reveals that she prays every day to Shangó for the health
of her son, her godchildren, her people and for the progress of the farm.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">She also prays daily for her President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, so
that the light may always guide him on the right path of the Revolution, as she
likes to say.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">Her greatest dream, she confesses, is to run a mini-industry one
day; to develop and be able to optimally offer the fruits they produce.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">Betty claims to have a strong affinity with the elderly, and has
been able to strengthen that bond through the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC by
its Spanish initials), of which she has been a member since she was 14 years
old. She says that her work is part of the Abel Santamaría credit and service
cooperative in the territory, which has gone through a very difficult period,
and they have been her main help, especially with the boom in sales.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">Between the Abel Santamaría and the Federation, they make the
neighborhood known as El Guayabal function properly. For years, a project on
aging that she herself directed has had an impact there. Many of the adults who
are sheltered in the senor citizens’ homes were cared for through these ties,
she says.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">Likewise, the FMC has empowered her in such a way that she is
sure she doesn't need to depend on anyone to keep going.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">If a 60-year-old woman and a young man with disabilities were
able to build a farm like hers, and accomplish these goals, then the country's
desire is perfectly possible for many.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-justify: inter-ideograph; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt;">Translated by ESTI<o:p></o:p></span></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-37316805679097180182023-06-09T17:05:00.000-04:002023-06-09T17:05:08.754-04:00<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBl6yWNfukMhlhzeWkmcnyy6CxMNnte2PRl_SOOgIV-YAo4knpJO39Tl5qOyUTsPSKGI1wOuJQp95Y1Kh5hFyyOwNMrw7g5Wvd52YlyON7zaUPWOreBOuOHKtd8NLE0P7_8YwbroQME8Y0EygSwRBDq6aa8MUpSJZM75yh94fcsXNo8TzV3woNTodig/s700/triciclo%20electrico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="700" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBl6yWNfukMhlhzeWkmcnyy6CxMNnte2PRl_SOOgIV-YAo4knpJO39Tl5qOyUTsPSKGI1wOuJQp95Y1Kh5hFyyOwNMrw7g5Wvd52YlyON7zaUPWOreBOuOHKtd8NLE0P7_8YwbroQME8Y0EygSwRBDq6aa8MUpSJZM75yh94fcsXNo8TzV3woNTodig/s320/triciclo%20electrico.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Electric tricycles are
incorporated to the transport of passengers in Moa, Cuba.</span></b></p></span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The city of Moa is using
25 electric tricycles to transport passengers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">German Veloz Placencia, </span><a href="mailto:german@fgranma.cu"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">german@fgranma.cu</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">According to Tahimi Arebol
Matos, mechanical engineer working with the department of Transportation, the
city of Moa (province of Holguin) has recently incorporated 2</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">5 electric
tricycles to its public transportation service. Tricycles are part of
“Ecomovilidad” a development project playing a role in transporting people
within the urban center that diminishes environmental contamination and favors
relevant changes in the electric grid that gradually reduce the use of fossil
fuels.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">These tricycles are able
to carry up to four passengers and were acquired by local government at a cost
of 71 thousand pesos per unit (close to four thousand CAN dollars), costs were covered
with monies provided by provincial businesses and entities. The tricycles depart
from downtown Moa, explains Ms. Arebol, and take a variety of routes reaching
most city neighborhoods and providing a useful, needed service at an affordable
price. It costs five pesos per passenger to ride, an amount understood by
Cubans as very affordable. In the past Cubans have complained about abusive pricing
practices by motorcycles owners offering a similar service.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tricyles are rented by
drivers under contract with government, paying a daily rent of 125 pesos to the
estate, which a five pesos per passenger and four passengers per ride mean each
ride brings 20 pesos. Anything above rent becomes earning for drivers. The
contract signed can be void by price violations, or by mistreatment or other
forms of abuse to the public. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">During
this pilot stage drivers had agreed to charge batteries at home but this will
change in the near future as a base is to be built within estate facilities to
charge electric batteries there, and the energy will be provided by a solar
panel system that will be located in areas of the department of transportation.
The solar panel phase is currently being negotiated with appropriate professionals.
Ecomovilidad will also include appropriate and ongoing follow up, checking its
effectiveness as well as its impact. Local government plans to expand this
project and to this end it will acquire more tricycles in the future. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-68468020420648020202023-06-03T11:30:00.001-04:002023-06-03T11:30:24.659-04:00<p> </p><h1 class="g-story-heading" itemprop="headline" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Amplitude Medium", "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 34px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1adMC46qoWLMv9m1C8V9Jk3u6_S7ykhvmqe6dxZ6p_Q6SRFJwM_KQlfqup4gdYs0fL9qgiXcCivpBVCctuZj2IghBCCgqCxkwxmFToyqAx5teqXfcI_TqrmjLe9gXEyRDfcIcv5x0ywDG09B50ONpdBbf4WBGZEe3nZoT6B4aqYPJoB97grwW5FxMpw/s1024/cuba%20vaccines%20regist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1adMC46qoWLMv9m1C8V9Jk3u6_S7ykhvmqe6dxZ6p_Q6SRFJwM_KQlfqup4gdYs0fL9qgiXcCivpBVCctuZj2IghBCCgqCxkwxmFToyqAx5teqXfcI_TqrmjLe9gXEyRDfcIcv5x0ywDG09B50ONpdBbf4WBGZEe3nZoT6B4aqYPJoB97grwW5FxMpw/s320/cuba%20vaccines%20regist.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></h1><h1 class="g-story-heading" itemprop="headline" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Amplitude Medium", "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 34px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></h1><h1 class="g-story-heading" itemprop="headline" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Amplitude Medium", "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 34px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></h1><h1 class="g-story-heading" itemprop="headline" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Amplitude Medium", "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 34px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></h1><h1 class="g-story-heading" itemprop="headline" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Amplitude Medium", "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 34px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></h1><h1 class="g-story-heading" itemprop="headline" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Amplitude Medium", "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 34px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><br /></span></h1><h1 class="g-story-heading" itemprop="headline" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Amplitude Medium", "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 34px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">Cuban anti-COVID-19 vaccines obtain health registration</span></h1><p class="g-story-description" itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(174, 174, 174); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding-bottom: 7px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">The Center for the Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (Cecmed) has granted health registration to the Cuban anti-COVID-19 vaccines Abdala (from the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology), Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus (from the Finlay Institute of Vaccines).</span></p><p class="g-story-description" itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(174, 174, 174); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding-bottom: 7px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">Liz Conde Sanchez, May 22, 2023</span></span></span></p><p class="g-story-description" itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(174, 174, 174); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding-bottom: 7px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">On May 19, 2020, the First Secretary of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, had met with a group of Cuban researchers and scientists whom he asked to create their own vaccine that would give the nation the sovereignty needed to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">Today, three years after this historic meeting, the three nationally produced anti-COVID-19 vaccines, which were born from the efforts of Cuban scientists and saved the country from the ravages of the epidemic, now have a registration. sanitary, granted by the State Control Center for Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (Cecmed). </span></span></span></p><p class="g-story-description" itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(174, 174, 174); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding-bottom: 7px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">During the ceremony which took place this Saturday at the Palais des Congrès in the capital, on the occasion of the third anniversary of the creation of national immunogens against the pandemic, Olga Lidia Jacobo Casanueva, director of Cecmed, announced the granting by the regulatory body of health registration to Cuban anti-COVID-19 vaccines: Abdala, from the Center for Genetic and Biotechnological Engineering (CIGB), and Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus, from the Finlay Institute of Vaccines (IFV) .</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">The official clarified that at the end of the process of evaluating the files presented by the institutions, "and considering that the Cuban vaccines have completed their studies and that the information presented complies with the requirements established by Cecmed in terms of demonstration quality, safety and efficacy", it was decided to grant health registration to the three vaccines.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">She also said that once health registration is obtained, emergency use authorizations granted in 2021, during the pandemic, are no longer in effect.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">During the ceremony, chaired by Martha Ayala Ávila, member of the Political Bureau of the Party and General Director of the CIGB, Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella, Deputy Prime Minister, Eduardo Martinez Diaz, President of the BioCubaFarma business group, as well as d Other officials, directors and representatives of various institutions, the IFV has been granted the status of High Technology Company (Empresa de Alta Tecnología).</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">Elba Rosa Pérez Montoya, Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, underlined that the IFV presented a complete and solid dossier, which is why all the evaluation teams unanimously recognized that this institution fulfilled all the requirements to be a high-tech company, making it the eighth of its kind in the country, seven of them owned by BioCubaFarma.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">The event was also an opportunity to pay tribute to Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, as the main architect of the development of science in the country.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">The book Fidel, interferon and Cuban biotechnology, by Dr. Manuel Limonta Vidal, was also presented. </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">The author declared that this work was intended to pay a deserved tribute to the memory of the unforgettable Fidel, and to show the new generations of young researchers in the country all the effort, support and direct participation of the commander in leader in this project.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">“We had the historic privilege of being chosen to take on the challenge of producing leukocyte interferon in Cuba, at a time when Finland was the only country in the world to produce it, and at a time of great change and development. 'significant opportunities for biotechnology around the world were on the horizon,' he said.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: inherit;">During the ceremony, the main institutions involved in the development and production of Cuban vaccines against COVID-19 were recognized.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></span></span></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-22597822950813989982023-05-03T10:45:00.000-04:002023-05-03T10:45:24.195-04:00<p> </p><h1 class="g-story-heading" itemprop="headline" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Amplitude Medium", "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 34px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 5px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMPWNrmJnWE1E51Fk1L6zAXBtgGgl6BW404O4kwfpenkitdl8j-Q-tvcycBMevP4Z-paxK_JdQt5QNv4CM-cFsLujgylVES-CSQEdLDQ8A0hA6UPD8BtI9YZW0So1f8PvyWGYXtL4b1iuGUqK5bKCgqvzNf6qUszJYxMSsDiMaiEYtHJSUH7eywxFYA/s700/cuba%20art%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMPWNrmJnWE1E51Fk1L6zAXBtgGgl6BW404O4kwfpenkitdl8j-Q-tvcycBMevP4Z-paxK_JdQt5QNv4CM-cFsLujgylVES-CSQEdLDQ8A0hA6UPD8BtI9YZW0So1f8PvyWGYXtL4b1iuGUqK5bKCgqvzNf6qUszJYxMSsDiMaiEYtHJSUH7eywxFYA/s320/cuba%20art%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></h1><br /><h1 class="g-story-heading" itemprop="headline" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Amplitude Medium", "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 34px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 5px;">President of Cuba talks with US solidarity leaders</h1><p class="g-story-description" itemprop="description" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(174, 174, 174); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding-bottom: 7px;">The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, spoke here today with nearly 300 friends of the island from the United States and accompanying the fight against the blockade.</p><div class="g-story-meta-footer" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"><span class="g-story-author" itemid="/archivo?a=477" itemprop="author creator" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Author: <a href="http://en.granma.cu/archivo?a=477" rel="author" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Más artículos de Prensa Latina(PL)"><span class="byline-author" itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Prensa Latina(PL)</span></a> | <a href="mailto:internet@granma.cu" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Escribir a Prensa Latina(PL)">internet@granma.cu</a></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">Havana, May 1 (Prensa Latina) The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, spoke here today with nearly 300 friends of the island from the United States and accompanying the fight against the blockade.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">At the Palace of the Revolution, the participants spoke about their commitment to Cuba, to fight with more force against the inhuman US blockade, to add more young people to this battle, about socialism and the example that the island represents.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">During the dialogue, the American activist Manolo de los Santos said that the experience of these days in Cuba has been wonderful, because they live the truth of the people, in the midst of the difficult economic times they are going through, detailed the Presidency of the Republic on Twitter.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">“We have witnessed the great strength of the Cuban people, how they resist and bring out the best of their creativity,” stressed the co-executive director of The People’s Forum.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">Our commitment upon returning, he said, will not only be to raise our voice, but to organize a different political project in the United States, and we will always be by Cuba’s side.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">Since April 24, one of the largest delegations to visit the country in decades has been in the Caribbean nation, with the aim of renewing the ties of solidarity between the people of Cuba and the United States despite the aggressive foreign policy of the president. American Joe Biden.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">It is made up of young people who are visiting Cuba for the first time and others with a long history of solidarity and accompaniment towards the Cuban Revolution.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;">Photos: Estudios Revolución</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBrEUCcpcYEobXX7rHiEIcl2k277LTCrG91JXQwSj1E_Vx6bcrrP6B_wzZmIO8NbD7lv7Vjnp33f-_ir6GljNjlgAI3-fHxRkQhEwq27yTRxQ8UzNuvyuZ1LF7k5b5gD1b2xi0v1YyrBBNbcKsk87NS3nR1ar64VgDlxE30VG0NcZ0PQeZwoWJbi7yw/s700/cuba%20art%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBrEUCcpcYEobXX7rHiEIcl2k277LTCrG91JXQwSj1E_Vx6bcrrP6B_wzZmIO8NbD7lv7Vjnp33f-_ir6GljNjlgAI3-fHxRkQhEwq27yTRxQ8UzNuvyuZ1LF7k5b5gD1b2xi0v1YyrBBNbcKsk87NS3nR1ar64VgDlxE30VG0NcZ0PQeZwoWJbi7yw/s320/cuba%20art%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-OFk-vaHSVdyJZ-iMOzYmIBS4yFmQKYpINxExKyLXCwSEt0rLGrBZuBB6K2MflYhBIzKQaYkeg_VXyq-01foNe5zo3l5r54OzE4lnSy3bNiDlBNezCLpXU3MniZ_3hPCByaFePxI3WqoVXT9E97I6HHQiFZakJTHcYCtnJL1ZOBDYjwoJlzXJsNsDg/s700/cuba%20art%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-OFk-vaHSVdyJZ-iMOzYmIBS4yFmQKYpINxExKyLXCwSEt0rLGrBZuBB6K2MflYhBIzKQaYkeg_VXyq-01foNe5zo3l5r54OzE4lnSy3bNiDlBNezCLpXU3MniZ_3hPCByaFePxI3WqoVXT9E97I6HHQiFZakJTHcYCtnJL1ZOBDYjwoJlzXJsNsDg/s320/cuba%20art%203.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxPVp3dgJaoXcjkGwqT6my8hEAKdPQDT5HpF0qPtA2_udVEmxRHTSgnMPOYQsi7w4cGIQfFRWM375mzSx3471GH-kqgo_Yx16xACgo0Zg1J5ryDvTyqfgGgoQn4uRYyypLDrM0_vNkXugxZmGmMCFUmsMdSTbC7-gKXG3ZRqelWtyD3LXxHxiM_BntQ/s700/cuba%20art%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxPVp3dgJaoXcjkGwqT6my8hEAKdPQDT5HpF0qPtA2_udVEmxRHTSgnMPOYQsi7w4cGIQfFRWM375mzSx3471GH-kqgo_Yx16xACgo0Zg1J5ryDvTyqfgGgoQn4uRYyypLDrM0_vNkXugxZmGmMCFUmsMdSTbC7-gKXG3ZRqelWtyD3LXxHxiM_BntQ/s320/cuba%20art%205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtMHRCZxFQEIyUfV7-dl9vK6UEAUtRSAX4DWrCE9N7_fFS7LMYDAPAVxj_gJJDSijKPQkyIk0dQwtaGfr7JR6cSisjIsBmqkgwXpw8OpK6sR8kErolahAAv-tD5V8f9D9TrCYThEygjOrprj4spgS1LpXsfBzs6pZwJ-u1CeIgLKnpfoJw0oYEm8FTg/s700/subna%20art%206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtMHRCZxFQEIyUfV7-dl9vK6UEAUtRSAX4DWrCE9N7_fFS7LMYDAPAVxj_gJJDSijKPQkyIk0dQwtaGfr7JR6cSisjIsBmqkgwXpw8OpK6sR8kErolahAAv-tD5V8f9D9TrCYThEygjOrprj4spgS1LpXsfBzs6pZwJ-u1CeIgLKnpfoJw0oYEm8FTg/s320/subna%20art%206.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxopiclanZ3XZAok2rAp1OjOZ9RdppdpruU4fGHSnM2jzGkxffgqkXxR80nVeAkvl0IyCwLB-bOMyaVHbENpK1y_BdNTfXdeapW9eQbvwcHFLrepERHfxjjFTHmSTF28CfxM43244NzXGFnUXehjnBf0CO-A94tOD8y5Ha99AFqwr7Sdoz0kZ0C1lkxA/s700/cuba%20art%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxopiclanZ3XZAok2rAp1OjOZ9RdppdpruU4fGHSnM2jzGkxffgqkXxR80nVeAkvl0IyCwLB-bOMyaVHbENpK1y_BdNTfXdeapW9eQbvwcHFLrepERHfxjjFTHmSTF28CfxM43244NzXGFnUXehjnBf0CO-A94tOD8y5Ha99AFqwr7Sdoz0kZ0C1lkxA/s320/cuba%20art%204.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-83387382981839253462023-04-17T13:59:00.000-04:002023-04-17T13:59:53.577-04:00<p> </p><h1 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Amplitude Medium", "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 34px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 5px;">Cuba defends its vision of integration and regional cooperation</h1><p style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(174, 174, 174); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding-bottom: 7px;">A big hug, dear Manuel Lopez Obrador, President of the United Mexican States, and I see that you got your way with the idea that the next meeting will be in Mexico(Verbatim version - Presidency of the Republic)</p><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 10px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Author: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://en.granma.cu/archivo?a%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1681839836689000&usg=AOvVaw3iNWk_QrN9ZYtcMiKGOFEW" href="http://en.granma.cu/archivo?a=1" rel="author" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Más artículos de Granma"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Granma</span></a> | <a href="mailto:internet@granma.cu" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Escribir a Granma">internet@<wbr></wbr>granma.cu</a></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhA_XFMTXKByKK0-XdCm1mC120Q0z0arTvRLhZOhQ1NiIg9tGhMtNi1dFQFq-BTuzAb6Tw1hO6e4HP6XeqThjGGkmW_zXFG535WQ_gkCTf9anxw4wC58JdEE7GwOUrzDW4hvXB7k5fg2gnfXGPwxrH6gNZ692xBoz8JH41fHrCFsbmdZccEWlEuaGWbvQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhA_XFMTXKByKK0-XdCm1mC120Q0z0arTvRLhZOhQ1NiIg9tGhMtNi1dFQFq-BTuzAb6Tw1hO6e4HP6XeqThjGGkmW_zXFG535WQ_gkCTf9anxw4wC58JdEE7GwOUrzDW4hvXB7k5fg2gnfXGPwxrH6gNZ692xBoz8JH41fHrCFsbmdZccEWlEuaGWbvQ" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="adn ads" data-legacy-message-id="1879050859195275" data-message-id="#msg-f:1763446262504968821" style="border-left: none; display: flex; padding: 0px;"><div class="gs" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; width: 1336.27px;"><div class=""><div class="ii gt" id=":on" jslog="20277; u014N:xr6bB; 1:WyIjdGhyZWFkLWY6MTc2MzQ0NjI2MjUwNDk2ODgyMSIsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsW11d; 4:WyIjbXNnLWY6MTc2MzQ0NjI2MjUwNDk2ODgyMSIsbnVsbCxbXV0." style="direction: ltr; font-size: 0.875rem; margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="a3s aiL " id=":om" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: small; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.5; overflow: hidden;"><div dir="ltr"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; display: table; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">A hug also to the Heads of State and Government, to the Vice President of Venezuela, to the Ministers who are leading the delegations participating in this Summit;</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Good afternoon everyone.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">And thanks to Mexico, which had the initiative to call this summit and invite Cuba.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">I well remember, because it was a very special day of high feelings, there in Campeche, when brother Andrés Manuel raised the idea of this summit, while we suggested taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the regional political scenario to launch projects of benefit to the peoples. It was almost mid-February and here we are, gathered to flesh out that idea.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">That is the primary merit of this meeting: its sense of the urgency that faces us with the tough challenges of these times. That is why I want to start by urging that we exploit the potential, the capacity and the political will to launch practical measures, without delay, which will have substantial benefits for the well-being of our peoples.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">We agree on the proposals for facilitating and expanding the exchange of goods.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">I want to add that, apart from the removal of tariffs and other barriers, we can undertake barter trade. This is an attractive basis for Cuba, given the severe restrictions of the blockade and our arbitrary and groundless inclusion on the list of countries which, according to the United States, sponsor terrorism; this seriously hampers our country’s financial relations.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">I believe we must also promote the exchange of (essential) services and work together to increase food production in general and that of the basics and essentials in particular, and improve access to these.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Here I want to propose that we immediately take maximum advantage of the installed industrial production capacity in our countries in ways that contribute to complementarity.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">By way of example: In Cuba, we have two fertilizer plants but lack the necessary raw materials. To produce NPK, we need phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. If certain countries agree to supply Cuba with these, we would be in a position to produce fertilizers and export them. On this basis, we place on the market formed by the present group of countries and those that join later, a product essential to food production at a better and more stable price than that imposed on us by the international market.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Another area I think we should work on is the model of technology transfer for food production in which, for example, Argentina is highly developed, as foreign minister Cafiero mentioned at the ministerial meeting.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">In the services sector Cuba of course offers its extensive experience, especially in the healthcare field. We have capacity at the level of 1,000 partitioners of comprehensive medicine available to the populations that need them and can also launch programs for dealing with diabetes, impaired vision and other chronic diseases.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">I also suggest that we improve the connectivity of our air and sea transportation, to enable effective intra regional supply chains. This will require maximum exploitation of our countries’ logistics and warehousing capacities and will contribute to bringing down freight costs.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">We are sure that the proposals and initial measures generated by this meeting will rapidly extend to other countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Our commitment to an integrationist vision and to regional cooperation will be the cornerstone of our joint efforts. On this basis, it will be possible also to take advantage of the advances within CELAC.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Cuba’s readiness and commitment is not in doubt. We are very interested in rapid, concrete results. We must not be tardy or wanting while our people wait.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Many thanks.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Translated by ESTI</p></div></div><div class="yj6qo"></div><div class="adL"></div></div></div><div class="hi" style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border-bottom-left-radius: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></div></div></div><div class="ajx" style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="gA gt acV" style="background: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top: none; font-size: 0.875rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><div class="gB xu" style="border-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="ip iq" style="border-top: none; clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px;"><div id=":oo"><table class="cf wS" role="presentation" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody><tr><td class="amq" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 16px; vertical-align: top; visibility: hidden; width: 44px;"><img class="ajn bofPge" data-hovercard-id="novascotiacuba@gmail.com" id=":nl_0" jid="novascotiacuba@gmail.com" name=":nl" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/AGNmyxb8Px6w3XGkB1zJgB9hsokqXMpUVDAMLDrkONeY=s40-p-mo" style="border-radius: 50%; display: block; height: 40px; width: 40px;" /></td><td class="amr" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 1336.27px;">-------------------------------------------------------</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-14599815915795531652023-04-03T10:49:00.002-04:002023-04-03T10:50:54.034-04:00<p> </p><p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">-----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p align="center" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 17pt;">Canadian Cuban Friendship Association (CCFA) Niagara</span><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: Helvetica, "sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p align="center" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 17pt;">Statement On</span><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: Helvetica, "sans-serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p align="center" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: small; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 19pt;">CUBA</span></p><p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">In 1959 Fidel Castro</span></b><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;"> led a successful revolution that changed the face of Cuba and resonated around the world. Prior to the revolution Cuba was a largely backward, uneducated, racialized country, with a US puppet dictator and U.S. corporations in the form of Chiquita Banana, Imperial Oil and Bacardi Rum pretty much running the show. A sizeable segment of the economy was Mafia controlled gambling and prostitution.</span><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Today, the Mafia casinos and brothels are gone, and the Cuban economy is largely owned by Cubans serving Cubans. Now, Cuba is recognized by the UN as a world leader in health care delivery, in education and literacy, in racial harmony and eliminating poverty. The UN’s World Health Organization declared “Cuba’s health care system is an example for all countries of the world. And according to the United Nations’ 2016 Human Development Report, “Cuba is one of just a handful of countries that has managed to improve the health and well-being of its citizens while developing sustainably.” Cubans have a life expectancy greater than the US. No Cuban is without a doctor.</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">In stark contrast to its neighbours to the north, revolutionary Cuba does not have a drug abuse problem or high crime rates. Violent crime is virtually non-existent. The police look like police and not like military combatants. Tourists travel safely throughout Cuba. Canadians visiting Cuba know of the friendly nature of the Cuban people. They recognize that Cuba flourishes with arts and culture that are a direct product of the revolution. Their historical and artistic culture are a charm of this island nation.</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Cuba’s historical solidarity with anti-imperialist, anti-racist struggles is admired and appreciated throughout much of the world. Today Cuba demonstrates international solidarity via their medical brigades providing medical services, wherever needed in times of crisis and by training doctors from poor areas around the world free of charge in Cuba. Their internationalism and social conscience is also displayed by providing Cuban developed COVID vaccines free of charge or at cost to poorer countries.</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Cuba is socially rich but materially poor and while many are poor, they are not desperate. But life is not easy for many in today’s Cuba. Wages are low and while most costs such as housing, taxation, transportation, and utilities are relatively cheap and the government provides stipends of food rations, it is not enough. For many, life is a struggle, and the only grace is that it is a shared struggle, as the people support each other.</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">The illegal US embargo/blockade of Cuba is vicious and keeps the people poor. The World through the UN General Assembly has repeatedly made ignored calls for the US to drop its financial sanctions and trade embargo against Cuba. The US should give up on its failed 60+ year effort to destroy the Cuban economy and have the people rise up against their government. The embargo/blockade is illegal, and it is immoral. I believe it can be shown that without the US blockade, the Cuban people would have a material lifestyle not unlike our own. In a recent speech, President Díaz-Canel said, “if they want to make a gesture towards Cuba, if they really are concerned about the people, if they want to solve Cuba’s problem: lift the blockade and let’s see how we do.”</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">To better understand the full impact of the U.S. sanctions against Cuba imagine what life would be like in Canada if we could not undertake financial transactions with other countries. If countries and corporations that traded with Canada would be punished and not allowed to trade with the U.S. Imagine if Canada had developed a COVID vaccine, as Cuba has, but could not acquire syringes required to inoculate the population because of the U.S. embargo/blockade. This is the state of subjugation that Cuba has faced continuously for 60 years because it refuses to surrender its revolution and adopt American style neo-liberal capitalism. It is a state of affairs whereby arguably the most disliked country in the world is attempting to destroy the most liked country in the world.</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">It’s true that, in the current circumstances, many young Cubans are leaving their country. Not all of them oppose their government. Many are young and want to see the bigger world. Others seek opportunities for a materially better life. They know that their freely provided Cuban education system prepared them for opportunities of material success outside of Cuba. An education that poor Americans cannot afford.</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Presently there is a dissident group of Cubans in Canada called “SOS Cuba” or “Cuba Decide” that seeks to destroy the Cuban revolution with claims that Cubans live in a dictatorship. They call for a multi-party system like in the United States and Canada. This well-connected US funded group is telling Canadians not to visit Cuba cutting a revenue stream that provides many services to the Cuban people. Canadians would be justifiably angered if any of our people or media supported a foreign government in attempting to overthrow our government.</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Cuba is a democracy. It’s not our form of democracy but there is no god given reason why all countries must emulate us. Cuba has a one-party system presided over by the Cuban Communist party and that is their choice to support or not support as they do every five years by going to the polls and voting in far bigger numbers than here in Canada. This is reflected in voting turnouts above 70%. The Cuban government, within their limited means, has delivered social programs and services unseen in other developing and developed countries.</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Cuba has both a representative government and a participatory democracy in which elements of direct and representative democracy are combined. A Participatory Democracy is a form of government in which citizens participate individually and directly in political decisions and policies that affect their lives. Cuba’s participatory democracy was exhibited last year when after months of nationwide public consultation and many amendments the people, in a national referendum, passed the amended Family Code Section of the Cuban Constitution. Earlier examples of nationwide consultation and electoral participation were seen with the adoption of the Cuban Constitution and Cuba’s New Economic Measures reforms.</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">Today there is growing disenchantment with capitalism and the economics of despair. Its unfairness is clearly displayed with a system in which 10% own 78% of the national wealth.</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-family: "New serif", "serif"; font-size: 13pt;">For too many the system is failing. Cuba offers a lesson in a more humane alternative system based on socialist values. It should be supported, not attacked.</span></p><p><span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 18pt; text-align: center;">Canadian Cuban Friendship Association (CCFA)</span><span style="color: #26282a; font-size: 18pt; text-align: center;"> Niagara</span></p><div class="nH aHU" style="color: #202124; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; position: relative;"><div class="nH hx" style="color: #222222; min-width: 502px; padding: 0px;"><div class="nH" jslog="20686; u014N:xr6bB; 1:WyIjdGhyZWFkLWY6MTc2MjA3Mjc3MTcwNTAwOTcwMyIsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsW11d" role="list"><div aria-expanded="true" class="h7 ie nH oy8Mbf" role="listitem" style="clear: both; max-width: 100000px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px;" tabindex="-1"><div class="Bk" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-radius: 0px; 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font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RgR7TmYzcnRnL_EhBrHcTBtd-1tUDr28tpzcQbTufNj5J6ufF0b_4HhW5z8QlmgRlsR3w8qKes7WTR6w04p1pXBdFRbC0rmhzpoeZEmBFME-vqrTOuMreV30KB3Yw_bAiYH_CfCPPs-d6AAlKpvu8-k8OdJrRxnXiqGsX8VU0jvtnukSClnWawz86A/s3300/page-1%5B1%5D.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RgR7TmYzcnRnL_EhBrHcTBtd-1tUDr28tpzcQbTufNj5J6ufF0b_4HhW5z8QlmgRlsR3w8qKes7WTR6w04p1pXBdFRbC0rmhzpoeZEmBFME-vqrTOuMreV30KB3Yw_bAiYH_CfCPPs-d6AAlKpvu8-k8OdJrRxnXiqGsX8VU0jvtnukSClnWawz86A/w371-h400/page-1%5B1%5D.jpg" width="371" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gA gt acV" style="background: transparent; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top: none; color: #222222; font-size: 0.875rem; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><div class="gB xu" style="border-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-size: 16px;"><br /><br /></span></p><p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-size: 16px;"> CBC Ombudsman</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="mailto:ombud@cbc.ca" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">ombud@cbc.ca</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0b5394;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/ombudsman&source=gmail&ust=1678374875287000&usg=AOvVaw0045Gukgp_JJ50K9o1aMUH" href="https://cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/ombudsman" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.cbc.ca/ombudsman</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #888888; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><img class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" height="41" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/mail-sig/AIorK4ziH4AZUz0lX4Z6ZnwhxI4wePQxMbPkR8CJOGUctI6IsKGjZY6CYoaZwGj80eCXiKGGqya3COI" style="color: #2c4ee0;" width="200" /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #888888; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #888888; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b>Reply to “As holidaying Canadians return to Cuba…” article by Evan Dyer on CBC.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #888888; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #888888; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #888888; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b>March 7, 2023</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #888888; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #888888; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #888888; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b>Dear Ombudsman:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #888888; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>What has happened to journalism in Canada and more specifically to the CBC? </i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>What has happened to speaking truth to power? </i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>The unbelievable ignorance and superficiality reflected in the information in Mr. Dyer’s article are astounding. Is it ignorance or is it deliberate in ignoring the elephant in the room: the embargo (conservatively speaking) against Cuba by successive U.S. governments for the last sixty-plus years is never mentioned to round out the present-day context of the problems the people of Cuba are facing. The article reminds me of the proverbial fox in the henhouse and then blaming the hens for allowing themselves to be eaten.</i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><br />Surely Mr. Dyer and his editors are aware of the U.S. policy of long-term sanctions and actions to destroy Cuba’s economy as outlined in a memo written April 6, 1960, by Lester Mallory, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs in the U.S. government when it became obvious that changing the minds of the vast majority of people supporting the revolution was an impossibility. Mallory proposed that the U.S. “…deny money and supplies…to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.” </i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>Since then economic and other measures have been initiated by the most powerful country in the world against an island off its coast in order to bring the country under U.S. control again as it was prior to the revolution. Is it deliberate on CBC’s part to present an article that subscribes to this U.S. policy, in effect for decades, by promoting the impression that Cuba’s socialist system doesn’t work? </i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>Are we to assume now, after a decades-long history of friendship between the Cuban and Canadian governments, that the CBC will now parrot the U.S. line of hostility about Cuba?</i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><br />Perhaps Mr. Dyer did not do his homework when writing this article but shame on the CBC for aligning itself with a U.S. policy that is consistently condemned year after year in the United Nations by practically all the countries of the world, including our own, and which President Obama himself said did not work. The fact that the people of Cuba have determinedly and consistently resisted these assaults against their sovereignty through the past decades simply shows how doggedly determined the majority of Cubans are to maintain their system of government and the CBC ought to apologize for publishing an article masquerading as journalism.</i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><br />Lisa Makarchuk, from Toronto, Ontario.</i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="mailto:lisamakarchuk@sympatico.ca" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 16px;" target="_blank">lisamakarchuk@sympatico.ca</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-45366736375347242872023-02-23T12:31:00.001-04:002023-02-23T12:33:33.474-04:00<p> <i style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Dear President </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico,</span></b></i></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b><span style="color: #073763;">The Canadian Network on Cuba (CNC), an organization comprised of 24 member-groups across Canada that work in solidarity with Cuba, would like to express our highest commendation and support for your recent statements and declared intention, pledging that Mexico will lead an international movement against the more than 60-year-old illegal US blockade against Cuba, and your rightful recognition of the successes of the Cuban Revolution and the example that the resistance of the Cuban people sets for countries around the world.</span></b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b><span style="color: #073763;">The CNC applauds Mexico’s position both in the context of solidarity with Cuba, as well as in its broader importance with regards to foreign policy, national sovereignty and independence, and the prioritization of basic, fundamental human rights, such as access to healthcare and education, and food security for all people, as opposed to allowing them to be marketable for profit by oligarchs.</span></b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b><span style="color: #073763;">Canada and Mexico were the only two countries in the Americas that did not sever relations with Cuba after its revolution in 1959. The CNC fully supports the Mexican people in this endeavor of solidarity with the Cuban people, and we affirm our commitment to join in solidarity with Mexico, and all progressive countries, and contribute to this movement in any way that we can.</span></b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b><span style="color: #073763;">The United States has no right to subjugate another country or people, and Cuba has been a victim of its terrorism for more than six decades. The Cuban people need our collective solidarity more than ever before, and that we act to demand and actualize the removal of the criminal sanctions against Cuba. The CNC will continue doing everything that it can to show our gratitude to revolutionary Cuba for the precedent that it sets for the world, and that necessitates the elimination of the blockade.</span></b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i><b>¡Abajo el bloqueo! </b></i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 11.75pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #073763;"> </span></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Samantha Hislop</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Julio Fonseca</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #073763;">Co-Chairs, Canadian Network on Cuba</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p></div>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-65465552231350233262023-02-04T12:17:00.001-04:002023-02-04T12:21:35.021-04:00<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"><b>VOLUNTEER WORK BRIGADE</b></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
29</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> annual Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade is almost here!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Since
1993 hundreds of people of various ages, skills and backgrounds living across
Canada have enjoyed an exciting and informative three week stay in Cuba with
the Ernesto Che Guevara Volunteer Work Brigade. The trip provides the
opportunity to look at the gains and victories of the Cuban Revolution, as well
as to understand the challenges Cuba faces first hand, in particular the
impacts of more than 50 years of illegal economic blockade from the United
States.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
Che Brigade fulfills two main goals. On the one hand, it is a great way to show
support for the struggle of the Cuban people to maintain their independence and
on the other hand it is an important opportunity for people from Canada to
learn and understand the dynamism of all aspects of life in Cuba.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
Cuban people, committed to maintaining their Revolution and its great gains,
receive the Brigade participants, known as Brigadistas, with warmth and
friendship. Brigadistas coming from Canada to share friendship help reaffirm to
many people in Cuba the value of social change they are carrying in Cuba for
their own their country and also for the world. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">For
more information, questions or to receive updates on the Che Guevara Brigade
please contact through email or phone the Che Brigade Coordinator Tyson
Strandlund at chevolbrigade@gmail.com or at 250-883-7321. You can also follow
the Che Brigade on social media. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Please
finds us on:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Instagram@cdnntwrkoncuba,
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Facebook
at </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/CheVolBrigade"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">www.facebook.com/CheVolBrigade</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
Che Guevara Brigade looks forward to travelling to Cuba later in 2023 and we
hope you will join us! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">-------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-11391321739123111962022-11-22T11:14:00.002-04:002022-11-22T11:39:20.982-04:00<div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0przIwBljb5KdeiYqg1-ulu6YLncZt-Kk4Ezb8G76Vf3aAwzLwj9D_WaK2JbHZpCJEU4kiuoV_NfHSwMq04BkhwFqcEEAOJdo5BRohZy-lOEuJOYieKKJ-BFYZEcREwo9guOkFVF-koQM9t8GdB18bvllA7zHL0ljhnze4HHik-Y9x34Zu5ncrEOmuw/s465/in%20memo%20Obituary.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="465" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0przIwBljb5KdeiYqg1-ulu6YLncZt-Kk4Ezb8G76Vf3aAwzLwj9D_WaK2JbHZpCJEU4kiuoV_NfHSwMq04BkhwFqcEEAOJdo5BRohZy-lOEuJOYieKKJ-BFYZEcREwo9guOkFVF-koQM9t8GdB18bvllA7zHL0ljhnze4HHik-Y9x34Zu5ncrEOmuw/w421-h237/in%20memo%20Obituary.jpg" width="421" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">In Memoriam</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Immortality </b> (1932)</p><p class="MsoNormal">Clare Harner Lyon</p><p class="MsoNormal">Journalist and poet from Kansas</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">Do not stand at my grave and weep</span></b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">I am not there. I do not sleep.</span></b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">I am a thousand winds that blow.</span></b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">I am the diamond glints on snow.<o:p></o:p></span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">I am the sunlight on ripened grain.<o:p></o:p></span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">I am the gentle autumn rain.<o:p></o:p></span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">When you awaken in the morning’s hush</span></b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">I am the swift uplifting rush.<o:p></o:p></span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">Of quiet birds in circled flight.<o:p></o:p></span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">I am the soft stars that shine at night.<o:p></o:p></span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">Do not stand at my grave and cry;</span></b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><b><span style="color: #666666;">I am not there. I did not die.</span></b></i><o:p></o:p></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">Nova Scotia Cuba Association (NSCUBA) shares the sad news of the passing </span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">on </span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">Nov 15, 2022 </span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">of Sheila MacDonald. Sheila has been a life-member and co-founder of NSCUBA and her </span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">actions and contributions were always a source of support to many sharing her dream of justice for Cuba. Sheila's quiet and firm example was always a true inspiration to our members. Her involvement and belief in a better world are recognized by all of us and by the representatives of the people of Cuba. Sheila will be greatly missed at our gatherings, by all of us and, we are sure, by the many who were touched by her generous spirit.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">We will remember Sheila and Innis generous h</span></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">ospitality and thank them in our hearts for the many evenings of camaraderie and friendship they made possible at their </span></span></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fresh Start Bed & Breakfast in Halifax. M</span></span></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">any guests from Cuba stayed at their place enjoying first hand their hospitality. Sheila and Innis hosted numerous NSCUBA AGMs </span></span></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and made possible numerous memorable potluck receptions at their home. We, NSCUBA members </span></span></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">and friends, want to extend our love and condolences at this challenging time to Sheila's family and, especially, to Sheila's sister Innis. </span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></i></div><div class="nH aHU" style="color: #202124; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; position: relative;"><div class="nH hx" style="color: #222222; min-width: 502px; padding: 0px;"><div class="nH" jslog="20686; u014N:xr6bB" role="list"></div><div class="nH"></div><div class="nH"></div></div></div><div class="nH" style="color: #202124; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"></div>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-22576895737673958642022-10-03T12:16:00.009-04:002022-10-03T15:02:44.113-04:00<p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <span> </span><span style="color: red;">Canadian Network on Cuba </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: red;">Hurricane Ian </span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: red;">Relief Campaign </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJ8u6fYqdwARDCp8vkeM9sXfpUq75OFadNQDtuBjamyeczWajXMjpTmDcs_f_UqCOtReSOCNdrEmZM9kE4yyR-44R02wWfSMuNjN5YTQ_G8UGuEm_FJpnylfz-Qfs2Rs_3h8l6b3sSlRc3OO4u9t107kWiBpB4RKzNpv1KTt9wlNDqIfShSRl_jPLSA/s3300/page-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJ8u6fYqdwARDCp8vkeM9sXfpUq75OFadNQDtuBjamyeczWajXMjpTmDcs_f_UqCOtReSOCNdrEmZM9kE4yyR-44R02wWfSMuNjN5YTQ_G8UGuEm_FJpnylfz-Qfs2Rs_3h8l6b3sSlRc3OO4u9t107kWiBpB4RKzNpv1KTt9wlNDqIfShSRl_jPLSA/w247-h320/page-0.jpg" width="247" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h1 class="o-h2 u-txt-center u-mb2@sm" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; font-family: var(--font-secondary); font-size: calc(6600vw/var(--grid-base)); line-height: 0.8; margin-bottom: calc(var(--spacing)*2); margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"></h1><h1 class="o-h2 u-txt-center u-mb2@sm" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; font-family: var(--font-secondary); font-size: calc(6600vw/var(--grid-base)); line-height: 0.8; margin-bottom: calc(var(--spacing)*2); margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><br /></h1><h1 class="o-h2 u-txt-center u-mb2@sm" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; font-family: var(--font-secondary); font-size: calc(6600vw/var(--grid-base)); line-height: 0.8; margin-bottom: calc(var(--spacing)*2); margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><br /></h1><h1 class="o-h2 u-txt-center u-mb2@sm" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; font-family: var(--font-secondary); font-size: calc(6600vw/var(--grid-base)); line-height: 0.8; margin-bottom: calc(var(--spacing)*2); margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><br /></h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_P6SwxRNtajbfpVJDN1cfpYzr_Ibpt47a7Hr7CXMyBemmya1UewBnQceXAwoWR8PVAeCw70MzqEPKPDDxlLHc1MDzjzDZVDShLdjky342UGFEjOBA1rdKNc82lBnsPGHZ6h-39zpbx1t7dkR1zAsOsmeNTcxXQMnq6tutec1CptiUcMRGmD2ZwclQzg/s3300/page-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_P6SwxRNtajbfpVJDN1cfpYzr_Ibpt47a7Hr7CXMyBemmya1UewBnQceXAwoWR8PVAeCw70MzqEPKPDDxlLHc1MDzjzDZVDShLdjky342UGFEjOBA1rdKNc82lBnsPGHZ6h-39zpbx1t7dkR1zAsOsmeNTcxXQMnq6tutec1CptiUcMRGmD2ZwclQzg/w247-h320/page-1.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><h1 class="o-h2 u-txt-center u-mb2@sm" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; font-family: var(--font-secondary); font-size: calc(6600vw/var(--grid-base)); line-height: 0.8; margin-bottom: calc(var(--spacing)*2); margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><br /></h1><h1 class="o-h2 u-txt-center u-mb2@sm" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; font-family: var(--font-secondary); font-size: calc(6600vw/var(--grid-base)); line-height: 0.8; margin-bottom: calc(var(--spacing)*2); margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><br /></h1><h1 class="o-h2 u-txt-center u-mb2@sm" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; font-family: var(--font-secondary); font-size: calc(6600vw/var(--grid-base)); line-height: 0.8; margin-bottom: calc(var(--spacing)*2); margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><br /></h1><h1 class="o-h2 u-txt-center u-mb2@sm" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; font-family: var(--font-secondary); font-size: calc(6600vw/var(--grid-base)); line-height: 0.8; margin-bottom: calc(var(--spacing)*2); margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIi_P1hl0bYuGTqLDgMk3Fs2loPaawymu03FwQlzJgKVVSHqXTmoCkDl6j8jH2ylLPEwG2XMyaOjZAzF5U2m4dBjzduJnQPEIq3Mnqg5az1qNJvj6oZT9_RlvO3JX4dHYL_V1A_1HtLKEF_38MDwdCvT8Z5jY2WOd9gNrNG3PSmZy130V0YgnpBuEyg/s1265/IAN%202022.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1265" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIi_P1hl0bYuGTqLDgMk3Fs2loPaawymu03FwQlzJgKVVSHqXTmoCkDl6j8jH2ylLPEwG2XMyaOjZAzF5U2m4dBjzduJnQPEIq3Mnqg5az1qNJvj6oZT9_RlvO3JX4dHYL_V1A_1HtLKEF_38MDwdCvT8Z5jY2WOd9gNrNG3PSmZy130V0YgnpBuEyg/s320/IAN%202022.png" width="320" /></a></div></h1><br /><span style="color: red;"><br /></span><h1 class="o-h2 u-txt-center u-mb2@sm" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; font-family: var(--font-secondary); font-size: calc(6600vw/var(--grid-base)); line-height: 0.8; margin-bottom: calc(var(--spacing)*2); margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="color: red;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-transform: none; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding-top: 9px;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><b><br /><span style="color: red;">How Cuba has reacted to Hurricane Ian</span><br /></b><br /><span style="color: #202020;">Dear friend,</span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-transform: none; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding-top: 9px;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td style="color: #202020; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><p style="line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;">As you will have heard, Cuba has been battered by Hurricane Ian. We've all seen the dramatic pictures in the news and I thought you’d like a first hand report from Cuba. <br /><br />First of all, everyone in Cubania is fine. Some places still have no electricity and there's a big clean-up job to do. Cubans know how to do this quite efficiently, it comes as part of the experience of living in Cuba, a country which is frequently battered by hurricanes. <br /> <br />Hurricane Ian passed through Pinar del Rio province with winds of up to 195kph in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The eye of the storm went directly over Viñales, an important tourist destination, as well as battering other smaller towns and villages in this tobacco growing region. <br /> <br />We heard from our friend Rachel whose organic farm is perched on the hill overlooking Viñales. Her farm is well-known for growing the deliciously fresh produce served in their organic restaurant. The farm has been battered and they have lost crops. Pictures of the farm show crops crushed by strong winds. <br /><br />The tobacco fields, for which Pinar del Rio is so famous, are flooded and the delicate crop has been damaged. <br /> <br />I spoke to Mayra yesterday. She lives in the centre of Viñales, where the eye of the storm past and runs a <em>casa particular</em>, renting rooms to visitors who come to enjoy the spectacular scenery of Viñales Valley. <br /><br />Mayra told us that trees had been uprooted bringing down power lines as they fell, and that corrugated iron or thatched roofs had been blown away by the strong winds. She talked of the damage done to farms like Rachel’s. But she also said that most of the houses in central Viñales have tiled or cement roofs and that these are intact with minor or no damage at all. When we spoke, they were waiting to be reconnected to the national power grid and she asked us to give them a few days to clear up the fallen trees and debris. <br /><br />She was confident that Viñales - in the worst affected area of Cuba - would be ready for business by the beginning of October. Early next week. <br /> <br />The entire country suffered a complete blackout on Tuesday when the country’s electrical generators failed. This morning, Thursday, local news sources report that power has been restored to 72% of users including Havana, Trinidad, Playa Larga, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Varadero and other destinations important to Cuba’s tourism.<br /> <br />No doubt, Hurricane Ian has done serious damage in parts of Cuba, but this is a country which is accustomed to dealing with hurricanes. In fact the word hurricane comes from the Taino people, indigenous to Cuba who used the word "huracane" to describe the evil power of strong winds. They knew about hurricanes.<br /><br />And we have a lot to learn from present day Cuban expertise when it comes to their systematic approach to preparing for hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. <br /> <br />The country is well known in the area for its Civil Defense System, established in 1966, which successfully harnesses the social power of the revolution for relief and rescue operations during and after natural disasters. It coordinates annual drills on a national level, promotes education and oversees communication, from early warnings and emergency alarms to forced evacuations before storms strike followed by guidance for recovery afterward.<br /> <br />More than 70,000 Cubans were evacuated from their homes prior to Hurricane Ian hitting Cuban territory. They have all be returned to their homes and the clean-up operation has started. Most of the debris and fallen trees will have been swept up by this weekend. <br /> <br />The Civil Defense System has created an innate culture of hurricanes, resilience and safety, ensuring that the population is aware of the country’s risk reduction system, educated in risk consciousness and disaster mitigation, able to use the lifeline structures in an emergency and actively participate in disaster preparation and the clean-up operation after a hurricane. <br /> <br />If you’re travelling to Cuba over the next few weeks, you may see some of the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, especially if you travel to Pinar del Rio. But be ready to admire the resilience of Cuba too, a country which has picked itself up, cleaned up the mess and started normal life again. <br /> <br />We look forward to welcoming you soon! <br /> <br />Un abrazo from Lucy and all the Cubania Team </p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></span></h1><h1 class="o-h2 u-txt-center u-mb2@sm" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: default; font-family: var(--font-secondary); font-size: calc(6600vw/var(--grid-base)); line-height: 0.8; margin-bottom: calc(var(--spacing)*2); margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="color: red;">UNDERSTANDING CUBAN MONEY IN 2022</span></h1><div><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihp1rYdquYEvonnaFLt-sjAGXcDPRingK7mdnTQ-SM1CXyLfbZ5MlmSfSvuPBOaLGlWw8lzuhg0VIe5z0pMPnweCu0XXs6Btby1FWXHo2qY7XyX5LBz052CwVncGYNYr5ERv4mzTon84biC_1Ed5tF1cVJhRLXwRH04-iz_YGDKxM36w2KzvTNPFzkyw/s1000/currency--1000x0-c-default.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihp1rYdquYEvonnaFLt-sjAGXcDPRingK7mdnTQ-SM1CXyLfbZ5MlmSfSvuPBOaLGlWw8lzuhg0VIe5z0pMPnweCu0XXs6Btby1FWXHo2qY7XyX5LBz052CwVncGYNYr5ERv4mzTon84biC_1Ed5tF1cVJhRLXwRH04-iz_YGDKxM36w2KzvTNPFzkyw/s320/currency--1000x0-c-default.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>From: </p><p><b>Cubania Travel </b></p><p>click: <a href="https://cubaniatravel.com/stories/">https://cubaniatravel.com/stories/</a> </p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-57844566039537703582022-07-26T16:54:00.000-04:002022-07-26T16:54:09.314-04:00<p> <b style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><i>Resistance, Resilience and Renewal: Cuba Commemorates Moncada</i></b></p><div class="adn ads" data-legacy-message-id="1823c41659458a6b" data-message-id="#msg-f:1739449481361197675" style="background-color: white; border-left: none; color: #222222; display: flex; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; padding: 0px;"><div class="gs" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; width: 1085px;"><div class=""><div class="ii gt" id=":on" jslog="20277; u014N:xr6bB; 4:W251bGwsbnVsbCxbXV0." style="direction: ltr; font-size: 0.875rem; margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="a3s aiL " id=":oo" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; overflow: hidden;"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div dir="ltr" style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, "system-ui", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px;"><div style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">-by Isaac Saney-*</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">July 26, 2022, marks the 69th anniversary of the act that is annually celebrated all over Cuba as the beginning of the movement and struggle that paved the way for the Cuban Revolution. On that day, Cuba’s rebels - led by Fidel Castro - rose up against the U.S.- supported dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">On July 26, 1953, a group of courageous young men and women attacked the Moncada Barracks in the city of Santiago de Cuba, and the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Barracks in Bayamo, in an attempt to overthrow the U.S. supported puppet dictator Fulgencio Batista. As the island's second largest military garrison, the Moncada Barracks was critical to Batista's military control of southern Cuba. The goal was to seize the weapons and distribute them to the people and spark a national uprising that would not only overthrow the Batista dictatorship but also establish Cuba's independence and sovereignty. This heroic act is annually commemorated all over Cuba as the beginning of the movement and struggle that laid the foundation of the Cuban Revolution. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The attacks were carried out by an organization that was created in 1952, under the leadership of Fidel Castro and Abel Santamaria, and comprised of young workers, students, artisans, peasants, and landless farmers. It had around 1,500 members and affiliated itself with historic Cuban national liberation figures such as José Martí and Antonio Maceo. Around 120 youths were part of the attacks, approximately 70 of whom were killed, with many being tortured and executed after the attack. The survivors, including Fidel Castro, were subsequently put on trial, and given lengthy prison sentences. Most, including Fidel Castro, were released after an amnesty in May 1955. This amnesty was the result of the mass mobilization of Cubans in support of the imprisoned rebels. Under the leadership of Fidel Castro, the July 26th Movement galvanized Cubans, ultimately leading to the victory of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, 1959.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The Cuban Revolution is a culmination of the struggles for national independence and social justice, embodied in the indigenous resistance to Spanish colonisation, in African rebellions against slavery, reaching a crescendo on October 10, 1868 when Carlos Manuel de Céspedes launched the first war for independence, carried forward and deepened by José Martí and Antonio Maceo, and revived periodically throughout the 20th century when Cuba languished under U.S. hegemony, with Moncada a crucial signpost. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The Cuban Revolution is, therefore, the crystallization and consummation of the historical aspirations of the Cuban people, manifested time and time again in their re-affirmation and determination to defend, strengthen and perfect the revolutionary project.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">However, the empire has never accepted the verdict of the Cuban people; it has waged an unceasing economic war and campaign of destabilisation aimed at restoring U.S. imperialism's domination and tutelage.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">This year’s Moncada celebrations and commemorations occur a little over one year after the failed U.S. financed and organized effort to overthrow Cuba's government by taking advantage of the amplification of serious challenges and difficulties faced by the Cuban nation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the intensification of Washington’s unrelenting economic war. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The July 11, 2021, protests in Cuba were maliciously manipulated by reactionary politicians and the monopoly media in various deliberate ways to discredit the Cuban Revolution and create a climate of disinformation and confusion to justify further aggressions against the island nation. However, overwhelmingly, the international community and the world solidarity movement with Cuba united rejecting Washington's economic war and destabilisation campaign. The U.S. state department failed miserably in pressuring countries in the Americas and across the world to join its ignominious and scurrilous attacks and manoeuvres against Cuba. The latest debacle at the Summit of the Americas not only underscored its failure to isolate Cuba but Washington's own estrangement from the region as many countries either stayed away in protest against Cuba's exclusion or sent lower-level delegations, with one participant after another calling for an end to U.S. hostilities against the heroic island nation. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Nevertheless, Washington remains intransigent. Since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Washington has waged an unceasing assault, both military and economic, against the Cuban people, organizing an invasion, assassinations, terrorist attacks against civilians and systematic economic sabotage. Many of these acts were directly launched from and/or planned in the United States. These acts of terror against Cuba include the 1976 bombing of a civilian Cuban airliner that claimed the lives of 73 people and the 1997 Havana hotel bombings, which claimed the life of Fabio Di Celmo, a young Montrealer of Italian origin. As a point of fact, 3,478 Cubans have been killed and 2,099 injured, because of these terrorist acts.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The objective of Washington’s strategy is the negation and extinguishment of Cuba’s right to self-determination, sovereignty, and independence: to reimpose U.S. domination, hegemony, and tutelage.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">The malign goal is to starve the Cuban people into submission by suffocating the economy for the purpose of generating shortages, hardships and exacerbating social inequalities that the Cuban Revolution has been working resolutely to eliminate in order to lead to Washington’s longed-for massive social unrest that would then serve as a pretext to intervene in Cuba.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">This was unambiguously articulated by Lester D. Mallory, Vice Secretary of State, and an architect of U.S. Cuba policy. He wrote in a now-declassified U.S. State Department April 6, 1960, memorandum:</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">“The only foreseeable means of alienating internal support is through disenchantment and disaffection based on economic dissatisfaction and hardship … every possible means should be undertaken promptly to weaken the economic life of Cuba … denying money and supplies to Cuba, to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation, and overthrow of government.”</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">But what is it that Washington seeks to destroy? What is the society that the U.S. government is so zealously committed to undermining? </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Cuba is a society where universal education and health care, housing, food, and access to culture are fundamental human rights, and the state — within its limited resources — does its utmost to transform these aspirations into reality.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Indeed, in Cuba there are no homeless children roaming the streets eking out an existence in a dog-eat-dog society where everyone fends for themselves, so characteristic and defining of profit driven and capital centred societies.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">This commitment is affirmed and ratified by and through Cuba’s system of popular power which provides consequential, concrete, and meaningful input into decision-making by the citizenry. Through mass participation and consultation these historical aspirations are expressed in a political consensus to defend, strengthen, and perfect the revolutionary project.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Cuba is the country that despite worldwide attacks on fundamental human rights has created a final draft of a new family code that will be voted on in a September 25, 2022, referendum. The code is guided by José Marti's dictum, "with all and for the good of all", guaranteeing respect for family diversity and defending the rights of all.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Cuba is also the country that has a vibrant biotechnology sector as its own highly effective vaccines and treatments against the corona virus have abundantly demonstrated. Indeed, Cuba’s successful vaccines are a direct challenge to the West’s monopoly over this vital medical technology, especially as these vaccines continue receiving international recognition. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Cuba is one of the most prescient and powerful voices in both word and deed as humanity faces an ecological catastrophe, developing a plan to 2100 to address the ravages of climate change. Indeed, in 2006, the World Wildlife Fund designated Cuba as the only country with sustainable development.<br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Besieged by the empire, the heroic island nation has made invaluable contributions to the well-being of the world’s nations and peoples, having established an unparalleled legacy of internationalism and humanitarianism.</span><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">More than 400,000 Cuban medical personnel have served in 164 countries fighting disease.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">More than 2,000 Cubans gave their lives in the struggles to liberate Africa from the scourge of colonialism and the racist apartheid South African state. As Nelson Mandela emphasized: "The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom, and justice, unparalleled for its principled and selfless character."</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">It is internationalist Cuba which has selflessly dispatched tens of thousands of medical personnel to dozens of countries across the world to fight disease, be it Ebola or COVID-19.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">What Cuba has done nationally and internationally is no small feat. Its impressive achievements have occurred amid an all-sided brutal aggression by Washington.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Commemorations of Moncada Day in Cuba and internationally reflect the ties that exist between Cuba and the world. The peoples of the world admire the courageous and rebellious spirit embodied in Moncada; a spirit that today is so powerfully manifested in Cuba’s steadfastness against the efforts of the empire to destroy the island’s independence. As Cuba's President, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez poignantly and repeatedly underscored, "We will not surrender the sovereignty of our country."</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">While the Moncada attack failed in fulfilling its immediate objective, it was central to the Cuban people's struggle for national affirmation and social emancipation. Cubans have always placed Moncada in a broad historical context, viewing it as a crucial link in the century-long striving of Cuba to free itself from Spanish colonial domination and U.S. tutelage, and then, establish authentic independence. At his trial Fidel Castro delivered a speech that eventually became the manifesto of the movement to overthrow the Batista tyranny. It was published as La Historia Me Absolvera (History Will Absolve Me) and laid out the national and social goals of the revolutionary movement that eventually triumphed on January 1, 1959. Today, the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes barracks, now a school and a museum, stand as concrete symbols of that successful struggle.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Although that first battle was lost, the Revolution ultimately prevailed on January 1, 1959.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">Since the Cuban people embarked on the road paved by Moncada, Cuba has refuted and continues to refute the colonialist mentality and practice of foisting on independent countries imperial arrangements and dictates that they resoundingly reject. The Cuban Revolution has refused to renounce its right to self-determination, independence and sovereignty, principles forged in the crucible of Moncada. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: 14pt; margin: 0px;">*Isaac Saney is a Cuba specialist at Dalhousie University, and the author of Cuba: A Revolution In Motion and the forthcoming, Cuba, Africa, and Apartheid's End: Africa's Children Return. From 2008-2022, he served as co-chair and national spokesperson of the Canadian Network On Cuba, with which he now serves in an advisory capacity.<br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div><span style="color: #888888;"><span style="color: #888888;"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"></div></div></span></span></div><div class="yj6qo"></div><div class="adL"><br /></div><div class="adL" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><br /></div></div><div class="adL"></div></div><div class="adL"></div></div><div class="adL"></div></div><div class="adL"></div></div><div class="adL"></div></div></div><div class="adL"></div></div></div><div class="hi" style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border-bottom-left-radius: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"></div></div></div><div class="ajx" style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="gA gt acV" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top: none; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><div class="gB xu" style="border-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="ip iq" style="border-top: none; clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px;"><div id=":om"><table class="cf wS" role="presentation" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody><tr><td class="amq" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 16px; vertical-align: top; visibility: hidden; width: 44px;"><img class="ajn bofPge" data-hovercard-id="novascotiacuba@gmail.com" id=":nx_2" jid="novascotiacuba@gmail.com" name=":nx" src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/no_photo.png" style="border-radius: 50%; display: block; height: 40px; width: 40px;" /></td><td class="amr" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 1085px;"><div class="nr wR" style="border-radius: 1px; border: none !important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px; transition: none 0s ease 0s;"><div class="amn" style="align-items: center; color: inherit; display: flex; height: auto; line-height: 20px; padding: 0px;"><span class="ams bkH" id=":os" jslog="21576; u014N:cOuCgd,Kr2w4b;" role="link" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-drag: none; align-items: center; background: none; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-shadow: rgb(218, 220, 224) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5f6368; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; height: 36px; justify-content: center; letter-spacing: 0.25px; margin-right: 12px; min-width: 104px; outline: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 12px; position: relative; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0">Reply</span><span class="ams bkG" id=":q4" jslog="21578; u014N:cOuCgd,Kr2w4b;" role="link" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-drag: none; align-items: center; background: none; border-radius: 4px; border: none; box-shadow: rgb(218, 220, 224) 0px 0px 0px 1px inset; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5f6368; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; height: 36px; justify-content: center; letter-spacing: 0.25px; margin-right: 12px; min-width: 104px; outline: none; padding: 0px 16px 0px 12px; position: relative; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0">Forward</span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-10197411775895358172022-06-11T14:02:00.000-04:002022-06-11T14:02:12.326-04:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3J-gqNyoxdk" width="320" youtube-src-id="3J-gqNyoxdk"></iframe></div><br /> Cuban President: People will be there to represent us!<p></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-87742351453676521122022-04-04T10:56:00.001-04:002022-04-04T10:56:24.636-04:00<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzON_Ji8QIii-1rAdLg7gSDMu79s18ajwU1cJIRTYnHCTrGgR_y6b0GtC18HbEk4OiXHgOaf4R8V4NGtHtP5F8FepGNcy-JtaS6U6i8NAewL6BmgjrzkzBJkq4zUQrwM9Kfa-KBUC0Kk97bhcDAorG5fYgzAcbyy2B4SmhMyOONcKv_pACSv-gtyBNew/s275/aguila%20sobre%20cuba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzON_Ji8QIii-1rAdLg7gSDMu79s18ajwU1cJIRTYnHCTrGgR_y6b0GtC18HbEk4OiXHgOaf4R8V4NGtHtP5F8FepGNcy-JtaS6U6i8NAewL6BmgjrzkzBJkq4zUQrwM9Kfa-KBUC0Kk97bhcDAorG5fYgzAcbyy2B4SmhMyOONcKv_pACSv-gtyBNew/s1600/aguila%20sobre%20cuba.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 13.2pt; mso-outline-level: 1; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 13.2pt; mso-outline-level: 1; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 13.2pt; mso-outline-level: 1; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 13.2pt; mso-outline-level: 1; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 13.2pt; mso-outline-level: 1; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">“Cuba advocates a
solution that guarantees the security and sovereignty of all”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Originally published: </span></i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://mronline.org/guest-author/granma-english/" target="_blank"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #880000; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Granma English</span></a> by Cubaminex <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://en.granma.cu/cuba/2022-02-28/cuba-advocates-a-solution-that-guarantees-the-security-and-sovereignty-of-all/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #880000;">(February 28, 2022 )</span></a></span> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Posted
Mar 03, 2022<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The U.S. determination
to continue NATO’s progressive expansion toward the Russian Federation’s
borders has brought about a scenario with implications of unpredictable scope,
which could have been avoided.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">United States’ and
NATO’s military moves toward regions adjacent to the Russian Federation in
recent months are well known, and were preceded by the delivery of modern
weapons to Ukraine, which together constitute a military siege.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is impossible to
make a rigorous and honest examination of the current situation in Ukraine,
without carefully assessing the Russian Federation’s just demands of the United
States and NATO, and the factors that have led to the use of force and
non-observance of legal principles and international norms which Cuba strongly
supports and, are, particularly for small countries, an essential resource in
resisting hegemony, abuse of power and injustice.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cuba is a country that
defends International Law and is committed to the Charter of the United
Nations. Cuba will always defend peace and oppose the use of force, and threats
to do so, against any state.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We deeply regret the
loss of innocent civilian lives in Ukraine. The Cuban people have had and
continue to have a very close relationship with the Ukrainian people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">History will hold the
United States accountable for the consequences of an increasingly offensive
military doctrine beyond NATO’s borders, which threatens international peace,
security and stability.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Our concern has grown
worse with NATO’s recent decision to activate, for the first time, its Response
Force.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ignoring the
well-founded claims made by the Russian Federation concerning security
guarantees for decades and assuming that Russia would remain defenseless in the
face of a direct threat to its national security was a mistake. Russia has the
right to defend itself. Peace cannot be achieved by mounting sieges or
encircling states.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The draft resolution
on the situation in Ukraine not adopted by the UN Security Council February 25,
which will be submitted to the General Assembly, was not intended as a genuine
contribution to resolve the current crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On the contrary, it is
an unbalanced text, which does not take into account the legitimate concerns of
all parties involved. It does not acknowledge either the responsibility of
those who instigated or took aggressive action that led to the escalation of
this conflict.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We call for a serious,
constructive and realistic diplomatic solution to the current crisis in Europe,
via peaceful means, ensuring the security and sovereignty of all, as well as
regional and international peace, stability and security.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cuba rejects hypocrisy
and double standards. It should be recalled that in 1999 the United States and
NATO launched a major attack on Yugoslavia, a European country that was
fragmented with a high cost in human lives, in pursuit of geopolitical
objectives, disregarding the UN Charter.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The United States and
several of its allies have used force on many occasions. They have invaded
sovereign states to bring about regime change and interfere in the internal
affairs of other nations that do not submit to their interests of domination,
defending their territorial integrity and independence.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They are also responsible for the deaths of
hundreds of thousands of civilians, which they label as “collateral damage,”
millions of displaced persons and widespread destruction across our planet in
their wars of plunder.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://mronline.org/2022/03/03/cuba-advocates-a-solution-that-guarantees-the-security-and-sovereignty-of-all/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cuba-advocates-a-solution-that-guarantees-the-security-and-sovereignty-of-all" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://mronline.org/2022/03/03/cuba-advocates-a-solution-that-guarantees-the-security-and-sovereignty-of-all/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cuba-advocates-a-solution-that-guarantees-the-security-and-sovereignty-of-all</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7917224283657841899.post-64694563693555197732022-03-19T11:21:00.000-04:002022-03-19T11:21:15.622-04:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pBHqe-9IEZY" width="320" youtube-src-id="pBHqe-9IEZY"></iframe></div><br /> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------<p></p>Nova Scotia Cuba Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00989774421285341059noreply@blogger.com0