The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, assured this Monday that Washington will continue to work to promote political and economic changes in Cuba, a task he described as a priority for the Donald Trump administration, despite the resistance he attributes to the leaders of the Cuban regime.
The statements were released by the State Department during Rubio's visit to Paris, France, where he is participating in the G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting.
“They are a very stubborn group of people, but we will continue to work on this because it is a priority,” stated the head of U.S. diplomacy as he concluded his remarks on the situation of the island.
Rubio insisted that the goal of Washington is to help Cuba achieve a better future, although he warned that any transformation will also depend on the decisions made by those who currently govern the country.
"We will do everything we can to help her move towards that future, but in the end, they will need to awaken and understand that there is no future in the path they are currently following," he stated.
The official explained that U.S. policy toward Cuba is not limited to demanding political changes, but also aims to enable citizens to engage in economic activities without depending on the state.
“We want Cubans to have what the population of virtually all countries in the Western Hemisphere has: the ability to earn a living independently, without relying on the government to provide it for them,” he pointed out.
Rubio accused the Cuban regime of deliberately restricting economic freedoms because he believes that greater autonomy for citizens could undermine their control over society.
According to their interpretation, the authorities allow limited economic activity to prevent an even greater deterioration of living conditions, but they hinder changes that would reduce the population's dependence on the Government.
"He doesn't care that people have little; he just wants to make sure that, to get anything they have, they are completely dependent on him," he stated.
The Secretary of State also connected the Cuban political and economic model to the massive emigration of citizens to other countries, particularly the United States.
"That model does not work and the only thing it has caused is for millions of people to leave Cuba, many of them heading to the United States," he expressed.
Rubio described the instability of the island and what he considers a failed state as a threat to national security and U.S. interests.
He stated that this situation explains the attention Washington continues to pay to Cuban events.
Regarding bilateral relations, he recalled that the U.S. embargo is regulated by law and that lifting it requires political changes in Cuba.
The head of U.S. diplomacy also directed strong accusations against the ruling elite and the Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), a conglomerate controlled by the Cuban Armed Forces.
Rubio stated that, while the population faces serious economic difficulties, there are individuals linked to the regime who hold large amounts of money in international bank accounts.
During the same appearance, Rubio avoided revealing whether the call he made to Cubans to collaborate with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had yielded results.
In response to a question from the press, he explained that disclosing that information could put potential collaborators at risk.
The position expressed this Monday aligns with the stance that the Secretary of State defended in September, when he stated that the United States was willing to help Cuba undertake a transition, but described the representatives of the regime as intransigent.
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