The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, warned that the political and economic instability in Cuba poses a threat to American national security and stated that the model imposed by the regime has led to the departure of millions of people from the country.
Rubio made these statements this Monday to reporters in Paris, France, where he is attending the G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting.
"That has to change because that instability and the failed state it has created pose a threat to national security and the national interests of the United States," he stated, according to a video released by the State Department.
The head of U.S. diplomacy held the Cuban authorities responsible for maintaining a system that deliberately limits economic opportunities for the population in order to retain political control.
“The problem with Cuba is that the regime is afraid to grant its people any type of freedom, whether economic or otherwise, because it likes to control them,” he declared.
Rubio stated that the Cuban government only allows economic activities that are necessary to prevent a further deterioration of living conditions, but without accepting changes that would reduce citizens' dependence on the state.
"It doesn't matter to him that people have little; he just wants to make sure that, in order to get anything they have, they depend on him one hundred percent," he stated.
"That model doesn’t 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 asserted.
According to Rubio, Washington's policy aims for Cubans to enjoy political and economic freedoms. He recalled that the U.S. embargo is established by law and that its lifting is contingent upon political changes in the Island.
"We want Cubans to have what the people of almost all countries in the Western Hemisphere have: the opportunity to earn a living on their own, without relying on the government to provide it," he stated.
The official also directed accusations against the ruling elite and the Business Administration Group S.A. (GAESA), a conglomerate controlled by the Cuban Armed Forces.
Rubio stated that while the population is facing serious economic difficulties, there are individuals within the regime who have “millions and millions of dollars hidden in bank accounts around the world.”
Additionally, he accused GAESA of having been "stealing from the Cuban people the little they have", without providing specific evidence for those claims during that exchange.
The statements were made during an appearance in which Rubio also avoided confirming whether the call to Cubans to collaborate with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had yielded results.
In response to a journalist's question, he explained that disclosing that information could endanger the people involved.
When discussing the prospects for change on the Island, Rubio stated that the United States will do everything possible to help Cuba move towards a better future, although he warned that those who govern the country will have to acknowledge that the current model offers no future prospects.
The Secretary of State also insisted that Washington will continue working to promote political and economic changes in Cuba, a task he described as a priority for the Donald Trump administration.
Rubio's remarks come just days after the State Department announced new sanctions against a maritime network linked to the transportation of Cuban oil, individuals related to GAESA, and Chinese companies supplying military equipment.
The measures announced on Thursday included the designation of eight entities and two individuals, as well as the identification of five ships as blocked property.
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