Havana, December 9 (RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla expressed his rejection of the ban on commercial flights from the United States to Cuba, except those bound to Havana, which will come into effect Tuesday, just as the world celebrates International Human Rights Day.

Rodriguez said on Twitter that this new measure from Washington, issued on October 25, harms Cubans and their family ties, and U.S. citizens who cannot travel as tourists and get to know Cuba.

The decision will inflict unnecessary burdens on Cuban Americans who live beyond Havana, who will have to incur additional costs to see their loved ones residing elsewhere on the island. The ban also comes at the end of the year's holidays, when family reunions are customary.

The State Department stated that this measure seeks to prevent the Cuban government from obtaining access to foreign currency, although it also harms thousands of Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits.