Rodriguez assured that Cuba will continue to contribute as much as possible to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between CELAC and the EU.

  Havana, Oct 27 (RHC) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez demanded on Thursday in Argentina, respect for sovereignty and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of States, in a speech delivered before representatives of more than 50 countries.

During the III Summit of Foreign Ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU), Rodriguez denounced the harrowing effects of imperialism in his region and defended the right of each country to define its political, economic and social system.

"The United States, in its expansionist and interventionist zeal, based on the Monroe Doctrine, always tried to turn our countries into its backyard", he said and recalled the long history of plundering of wealth and looting of natural resources in the area.

On the other hand, he thanked CELAC and the EU for the rejection of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by Washington on the island for more than 60 years.

"That unjust and illegal policy was intensified extremely, inflicting greater damage to the Cuban people to provoke the collapse of the economy," he said.

He also acknowledged the condemnation by CELAC and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, of the inclusion of Cuba "in the list of the U.S. State Department of alleged sponsors of terrorism".

The Foreign Minister of the largest Caribbean Island warned that "when there is talk of multilateralism and international order based on rules, it seems to allude to the imposition of new dubious paradigms, at the convenience of rich countries, without democratic intergovernmental negotiation processes".

He added that there is a problem with coherence and consistency. Double standards are not admissible. "Sovereign equality, non-interference and the inalienable right of each State to decide its system without impositions of pretended cultural, democratic, and human rights paradigms must be respected in all circumstances," he said.

On the other hand, he assured that Cuba will continue to contribute as much as possible to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between CELAC and the EU, for the benefit of the peoples of both regions and the world. (Source: PL)