Havana, August 1 (RHC)—Cuba has again repudiated remarks by US State Secretary Mike Pompeo, who has urged the island to abandon its principles if it wants to benefit from relations with Washington.

“Lies, cynicism and demagogy in statements of US Secretary of State. He can no longer hide the true purpose of US policy, which intends to force our people to surrender by hunger to cause destabilization and regime change.  There's an obvious abyss between what they say and what they do,” Bruno Rodriguez said on Twitter.

The top Cuban diplomat added that "the true US Cuba policy has led to the tightening of the blockade, implementation of the Helms-Burton Act, closing of US Consulate in Havana, measures against Cuban and US families, ban on travels and exchanges between our peoples and sabotage against Cuban medical cooperation."

In a previous tweet, Rodriguez stated that the U.S. promotes war and death: It has a military presence in 177 countries, more than 250,000 soldiers and 800 military bases.  Cuba, on the other hand, promotes health and life: 56 years of international medical cooperation, with more than 400,000 health collaborators in 164 countries.

Relations between Cuba and the United States have deteriorated considerably since the assumption of power by President Donald Trump, who among other measures authorized the implementation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Law, the prohibition of cruise ships from docking in Cuban ports and reinforced obstacles for U.S. citizens not to visit Cuba.