The chancellor of the Cuban regime Bruno Rodríguez criticized the tour of the American diplomat Mike Hammer in Europe and accused him of attempting to end their medical missions.
Rodríguez accused on X “the diplomat that the U.S. has accredited in Cuba” of working in Europe to “try to put an end to such a necessary and humane service,” including in the post a photo of the regime's medical mission in Italy.
"His argument is the use of force and threats. Being incompetent and ineffective in his management of the position where he is destined, he has been rewarded with expensive European trips to showcase the grip of his government as a calling card," he said.
Hammer met last Thursday during an official visit in Rome with representatives from the Vatican and Latin American diplomats, as part of the efforts by President Donald Trump's administration to strengthen international support for the freedom of the Cuban people.
According to the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, Hammer met with Caritas Internationalis to coordinate the delivery of direct humanitarian aid to Cubans through the Catholic Church, a mechanism that Washington has prioritized to avoid the regime's intermediation.
The diplomat also participated in a meeting organized by the American ambassador to the Vatican, Joe Donnelly Burch, with a group of Latin American ambassadors accredited to the Holy See.
This Sunday, the American diplomat posted a photo in the Vatican alongside Mons. Silvano Pedroso Montalvo, the bishop of Guantánamo-Baracoa, who had coincidentally traveled to meet with the Pope.
Cuban medical missions have been described by the European Parliament and the U.S. Department of State as a form of "human trafficking and forced labor."
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