The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, warned the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, that the Cuban regime will not undertake the reforms that the island's population needs as long as it believes it has the support of the international community.
The statement was conveyed during a phone conversation between the two leaders this Tuesday, according to a Department of State announcement.
The warning highlights the international support that, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, the authorities in Havana perceive.
During the call, the head of U.S. diplomacy also urged El Salvador to join the United States and other like-minded countries to advance shared priorities at the United Nations.
Washington also indicated that both leaders reaffirmed the close bilateral relationship and addressed the need to keep El Salvador's critical infrastructures secure, including its ports, and to protect them from what the State Department referred to as "malicious foreign influences."
The conversation with Bukele introduces an element into the Secretary of State's discourse: the importance that Rubio attributes to the position of the international community regarding the Cuban Government and its potential influence on Havana's willingness to undertake reforms.
The statement on Cuba maintains the line previously expressed by the Secretary of State.
In July, Rubio stated that Washington was open to dialogue with Havana, but he questioned the willingness for change of those who govern the island.
"We want Cuba to have a better future and we are willing to do what it takes. But those currently in power need to decide that they want to move in that direction. And, unfortunately, at this moment, they do not want to do so," asserted the Secretary of State.
More recently, in September, Rubio stated that the United States was ready to help with a transition in Cuba, although he noted that the regime's representatives were showing intransigence.
"The Cuban revolution has failed. It has been failing for more than sixty years. It is a failure now. I believe there is an acknowledgment within the Cuban system itself that the revolution has failed," stated Rubio.
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