Related videos:
Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Relations (MINREX) of Cuba, publicly commented on the offer of assistance for those affected by Hurricane Melissa, announced earlier on Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
In a brief message posted on the social network X, Fernández de Cossío stated that they have "made contact" with the Department of State and are awaiting further details.
"Following today's public communications regarding the hurricane damage, we have contacted the State Department and are awaiting clarification on how and in what ways they are willing to assist," wrote the deputy minister.
As of the close of this report, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, has not commented on the matter.
"We are prepared to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people."
Marco Rubio announced this Thursday the willingness of the U.S. government to offer "immediate" humanitarian aid to Cubans affected by Hurricane Melissa, and clarified that he plans to do so without intermediaries from the regime.
The initial statement was made through his account on the social network X, where the Republican official avoided going into details but made it clear that the island is joining the group of countries that will be able to receive assistance from Washington.
“We are ready to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people affected by the hurricane,” Rubio stated succinctly.
Then he added a second post in which he specified that "the United States is ready to provide immediate humanitarian assistance, both directly and through local partners who can distribute it more effectively to those in need."
In the same post, he stated that the Trump administration "following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in eastern Cuba, stands in solidarity with the brave Cuban people who continue to fight to meet their basic needs."
A statement published on the State Department's website specified that "U.S. legislation includes exemptions and authorizations for private donations of food, medicines, and other humanitarian aid to Cuba, as well as for disaster response."
"We encourage those who wish to support the Cuban people directly to contact us if they have any questions. They can send their inquiries to CubaHumanitarian@state.gov," the statement concluded.
The announcement took place just one day after Rubio himself made public the active coordination with the governments of Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas to respond to the emergency.
At that time, however, Cuba was not included among the countries with which the U.S. was in contact to coordinate joint actions in response to the natural disaster.
The torrential rains, flooding, and damage to critical infrastructure in provinces such as Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, and Granma have left communities isolated and entire areas without access to electricity or drinking water.
Precedents of aid and historical tensions
Recent history has shown that offers of humanitarian aid between the United States and Cuba during times of natural disaster have been exceptional and politically sensitive.
In 2022, following the devastating Hurricane Ian, the government of Havana requested emergency assistance from the Biden administration. That request elicited a limited response but demonstrated an unusual openness amid diplomatic tensions.
Several months earlier, in August 2022, following the fire at the Supertanker Base in Matanzas, Cuba had requested technical assistance from Washington.
However, on previous occasions when humanitarian aid has been offered by the U.S., it has been rejected by the Cuban government, under the argument that it is not provided in a manner that respects national sovereignty.
Filed under: