Eduardo González
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez in Madrid on Monday, February 16, to discuss the current situation on the island following the tightening of the embargo by the United States.
Bruno Rodríguez traveled to Spain on Monday as part of a tour of countries, including Russia, Vietnam, and China, to garner international support against the increased blockade imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Upon his arrival at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in the Palacio de Viana, the Cuban minister was met with shouts and insults from a group of activists from his country, according to the EFE news agency and as can be seen on some social media platforms, such as the opposition Facebook page ‘Cubanos por el Mundo’ (Cubans Around the World). “Miserable!”, “Murderer!”, “Shameless!”, “We want a free Cuba!”, and “Long live Donald Trump!” chanted the crowd, some of whom shouted in support of the far-right Vox party and accused the Spanish government of being “complicit.”
During the meeting, held at Bruno Rodríguez’s request, the two foreign ministers discussed “the current situation in Cuba following the tightening of the embargo” and analyzed the situation of Spanish companies in the country, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Spain will provide humanitarian aid through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) to Cuba via the United Nations system, in the form of food and essential medical supplies,” the statement continued.
“We reiterate our commitment to strengthening political, economic, and trade dialogue and cooperation for the benefit of both countries, in the current complex international context, in the face of breaches of peace, security, and international law, and the growing aggression of the United States against Cuba, particularly the blockade of fuel supplies, which causes suffering to our people,” Bruno Rodríguez wrote on his official Twitter account.
On January 29, Trump signed an executive order declaring a “national emergency” against Cuba, which he considers an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. security, and announcing the imposition of tariffs on countries that supply oil to the Caribbean nation and threatening retaliation for those who ignore the executive order.
Furthermore, Albares and Rodríguez also discussed “the main objectives set by the Spanish Pro Tempore Secretariat for the Ibero-American Summit, which will take place on November 4 and 5 in Madrid,” according to the Foreign Ministry statement. “I conveyed Cuba’s support for the organization and holding of the Ibero-American Summit in November in this capital and emphasized the importance of multilateralism in addressing global challenges and promoting sustainable development,” the Cuban Foreign Minister added.