The tightening of the US blockade of Cuba and the impositions of stricter sanctions have cost that Caribbean country more than US$4 billion just over the last year alone.
This was disclosed last Friday by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla at a press conference in Havana.
He said that the Donald Trump administration is now resorting desperately to unconventional measures that amount to a qualitative change in its economic pressures to stifle the Cuban economy.
These include measures which affect third countries and even commercial entities trading with Cuba.
Among these are measures against oil tanker companies that are contracted to ship fuel to Cuba from sources such as Venezuela.
Such companies are now subjected to huge fines if they allow their vessels to carry fuel from one sovereign country to another, a commercial arrangement that has nothing to do with the United States or its policy against Cuba.
This has resulted to a very grave shortage of fuel in Cuba, more difficulties for its economic development and hardship for its citizens, as well as the thousands of foreign students there, including from St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The US government has also implemented sections of the Helms Burton Act, allowing US citizens to sue Cuban businesses or even individuals and businesses from third countries that currently occupy or operate businesses related to properties nationalized since the 1959 revolution.
The Trump administration has also suspended travel by US citizens to Cuba, affecting the Cuban tourism industry as well as cancelled the visits by cruise liners.
All of this amounts to a huge economic cost to Cuba.
In the year from April 2018 to March 2019, the estimated losses amount to US4.3 billion, Rodriguez said, adding that the accumulated damage resulting from almost 60 years of the US blockade on Cuba has reached US$138 billion.
Rodriguez said that if one takes into account the depreciation of the dollar against the value of gold on the international market, that amount skyrockets to almost one trillion dollars (US$922.63 billion).
In addition to all these, the US government is now pressuring countries which have health cooperation programmes with Cuba, to end this cooperation by refusing to accept Cuban doctors and nurses.
Significantly a US naval medical ship USNS Comfort will next month visit six selected Caribbean islands — Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St Kitts/Nevis, St Lucia, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago — offering free medical treatment to citizens in those countries.
The continuing illegal blockade against Cuba, in flagrant violation of the votes of 189 members of the United Nations is not only illegal and criminal, it has reached preposterous levels, said Renwick Rose, president of the SVG/Cuba Friendship Society
“The local St Vincent and the Grenadines/Cuba Friendship Society is not only calling on all citizens to condemn these actions but is planning a solidarity activity next month which it calls on all friends of Cuba, especially those who have benefitted from Cuban health care and graduates of Cuban universities to support,” Rose said.
Just what does the US Government believe they are going to accomplish with this perpetual blockade? the question was being asked about what the US Government wanted to achieve with the Viet Nam War. I have the impression that Hispanic people can be hot-headed in the short-term but are tremendous at adapting and being forgiving in the long-term, excepting family feuds and issues of personal respect. I suppose it is part of the culture to get on with business when it concerns the majority. Arabs and Turks and many Europeans are somewhat different in that respect. Nevertheless I hope the Cubans do not forget and forgive this policy so easily.
As bad as Obama was in Foreign Policy, Trump is even worse. It is well known that Obama was the worst financial disaster ever to hit the USA but Trumps bad Foreign Policy may bring just as bad Economic Negativity to the USA in the long-term. He is causing the entire world to hate the USA even more than all presidents since Kennedy.
Does the USA believe the Cubans are going to get on thier knees and beg the USA to return to exploit them as before? Is this the way to accomplish that?
Robertson your comments appeared to have been generated from an untutored and an unlearned mind. How could you say that “Obama was the worst financial disaster ever to hit the USA”??? Are you really serious? Shame on you!!! What about the financial melt down on wall street that occurred just before he took office. And who solved the matter. His administration moved quickly to counter the negative effects of the fall out. Are you suffering from political amnesia in such a short space of time. Please give honour to whom honour is due.
Mr Rose Wat l don’t understand about you.there is two sides to this story.and you only speak one.lts 60 years the Cuban revolutionary Government has been holding the people of Cuba against there well.They have killed any thing that looks like democratic principles.If it was not for the USA they would of torn the hold Caribbean into a communist block.Thank GOD FOR AMERICA.
Wow. Another brain dead american with their fox news history lesson.
During last year 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, friend of Cuba Ralph Gonsalves, was found to be appealing for the continued expansion of World Globalisation.
Indeed, Multilateralism to which he is sure wedded, no doubt for him, brings in much “Development Aid,” that is, in place of sound economic policies here at home, when the begging bowl gets past around. Not that we gets any from Cuba who needs it themselves.
Sadly however for Ralph Gonsalves, he will not be too pleased with this year’s address by President Trump of the U.S. For in President Trump’s addresses to the U.N. General Assembly this year, the President makes it very clear, that Communism and Socialism, has been very, very bad for the world’s population and that Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela were among the truly sad offenders. Watch:
President Trump addresses U.N. General Assembly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq0GPD2-p_E
Moreover the UK’s Prime Minister paints a dystopian future for those living with totalitarian regimes, regimes who would have control of new technologies for people control.
James H— all he Scandinavian countries countries along with Austria, Switzerland, Germany and France are socialist countries. Their economies are doing quite well. Cuba would have done well had it not been for US sanctions.
Sounds like, the good news is, that the sanctions are working.
The Cuban government is hurting themselves. Normal cubans hate their government and are good people. The Cuban government is really bad
Cuba is a major cause towards the collapse of Venezuela’s economy. They have received billions of dollars of Venezuelan oil for very little real payment. Not solely responsible but certainly one of the main contributors.
With the collapse of Thomas Cook travel agents, they are demanding holiday makers pay again for accommodation before they will allow them to check out of hotels. Despite the indisputable fact that the British government has undertaken to pay for all the failed companies bookings and flights. Thomas Cook was a fully bonded company and the bonds are held by the British Government.
Last year there was a case where a TV broke down in a hotel room and the tourist was not allowed to check out until he paid for the TV to be repaired.
Cuba is quite simply a lovely place with some lovely people who are trapped in the slavery called communism.
There have always been food shortages and other shortages even in hospitals.
The Castro brothers are one down and one to go, keep your fingers crossed.