Deputy Foreign Minister says US pressures other governments to isolate Cuba

The United States government has urged several countries to terminate bilateral health programmes with Cuba, according to Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio. The impact of halting these programmes “could leave many communities without access to health services,” Carlos said on Facebook on Wednesday (1/7). The US is also pressuring other governments to change their stance opposing the US economic blockade and even to refuse to discuss the issue at the United Nations, he said. The US government has succeeded in pressuring other governments to comply with Washington’s ban on fuel exports to Cuba, he added. Cuban authorities have repeatedly condemned the energy blockade by Washington as an act of genocide and a form of collective punishment causing prolonged daily blackouts, shortages of transport services, and obstacles to economic activity. Over the past six months, Cuba, which is heavily dependent on fuel imports, has received only one oil tanker, the Russian vessel Anatoly Kolodkin, which transported around 100,000 tonnes of crude oil. According to official sources, Cuba requires approximately eight fuel tankers per month to operate normally.