The Deputy Director General for the United States at MINREX, Johana Tablada de la Torre, traveled to Washington DC to do exactly what she reproaches Mike Hammer for in Cuba: meet with social sectors.
The diplomatic official of the regime participated in a discussion with “friends and organizations in solidarity with Cuba” about “the relations between Cuba and the United States,” reads a note from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX).
According to the information, Tablada focused on criticizing the new measures implemented by the Trump Administration, which he described as “extreme and inhumane.”
In the discussion, which took place in what appears to be an auditorium not specified by the MINREX note, the official referred to "interference programs in Cuba's internal affairs," seemingly alluding once again to the meetings with civil society by the head of the U.S. diplomatic mission.
Tablada also stated that the regime wishes to "develop better relations with the United States."
Tablada has been one of the regime's spokespeople who most vehemently criticized the Chargé d'Affaires of the United States in Havana, Mike Hammer, accusing him of lying, promoting internal destabilization, and violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
This week, Tablada de la Torre issued a direct warning: to Hammer, "no one should confuse the patience Cuba has shown in the face of these kinds of acts with weakness."
His statements were included in a promotional video published by the state media Prensa Latina, but they were removed from the final version. The cutting of that part of the material suggests that the content exceeded the usual diplomatic tone and could lead to misunderstandings or escalate the bilateral conflict.
Previously, the diplomat also asserted that Hammer has “consciously” lied about the situation in the country and that his statements in Miami—where he claimed that “the revolution has failed” and that the Cuban people hold the regime accountable for the crisis—are part of a destabilization strategy.
The U.S. State Department has defended the diplomat, asserting that his work is legitimate and falls within the bounds of international law. “Supporting the Cuban people is not a crime,” stated an official spokesperson. Washington has reiterated its commitment to human rights and to Cuban civil society.
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