Cuban President met with U.S. and Cuban-American businessmen    

Havana, Oct 27 (RHC) Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel ratified Wednesday his country's willingness to strengthen dialogue and relations with the United States, based on respect for sovereignty, and without unilateral positions of force.

In a meeting at the Palace of the Revolution with U.S. businessmen participating in the U.S.-Cuba Business Conference, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and the Focus Cuba group, he described their presence as very positive, amid the complex times this Caribbean nation is going through.

Meetings like this one, in which we have great faith, also help us to ratify concepts that we defend: we are open to cooperation with the world, and we consider that collaboration and business interrelation at the international level are a way for our development.

It also ratifies that we are open to strengthen dialogue and relations with any country in the world, particularly with the United States, he said.

A dialogue based on respect, where our sovereignty and integrity are not attacked, where there are no unilateral positions of force. If that is respected then we can dialogue and strengthen relations, regardless of our ideological differences, said the president.

During the meeting, the Cuban leader commented on the effects on the island of the blockade imposed by that northern power, particularly since the implementation of the 243 measures applied by the former Republican president Donald Trump, and maintained by the current Democratic administration of Joe Biden.

Díaz-Canel affirmed that the ultimate motive of those provisions was the inclusion of Cuba in the list of countries that allegedly support terrorism, only nine days before Trump left the presidency. A decision the Cuban president described as uncertain, and irrational, which limits the country in a financially crippling way.

He described as very cruel the policy of the U.S. government during the Covid-19 pandemic when it tried, by all means, to prevent Cuba from having access to vaccines, medicines, as well as medical oxygen, and pulmonary ventilators at a time of contingency.

He pointed out that despite that policy, the island was able to develop the vaccines against Covid-19 that allowed immunizing the population, controlling the virus, and reducing deaths to zero, becoming one of the two countries in the world that have supplied more doses per population.

He also said that the concept of creative resistance, which is also to advance and develop the country amid adversities, is the philosophy with which this Caribbean nation faces all problems.

Among the participants in the business meeting were Americans and Cubans living in the United States, representatives of sectors such as agribusiness, transportation, logistics, and information and communications technologies. (Source: PL)