Havana, May 11 (RHC)-- The Working Group of the Sao Paulo Forum, a platform that includes political parties and social movements from all over the Americas, issued a declaration of solidarity with Cuba in which it demands the lifting of the blockade imposed by the U.S. government against Cuba.

Below is the full text of the document:

The organizations participating in the virtual meeting of the Working Group of the Sao Paulo Forum, held on May 8, 2020, demand the lifting of the criminal economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the government of the United States against Cuba, which constitutes the main obstacle to its development and, in the current situation, limits the acquisition of services and equipment vital to the fight against the new coronavirus.

We demand the cessation of the aggressive and hostile escalation of the United States government against Cuba which, with its policies and hate speeches, encourages violent actions, such as the terrorist attack against the Cuban Embassy in Washington, last April 30th.  In this sense, we demand that U.S. authorities conduct an exhaustive investigation, and enact severe sanctions, measures and security guarantees for the Cuban diplomatic missions in its territory.

We demand an end to the campaign of discredit orchestrated and promoted by the White House and its allies against the medical collaboration that Cuba is providing in solidarity to dozens of countries in the world, especially to the brotherly peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We express our admiration for the altruistic work of the "Henry Reeve International Disaster Contingent," whose contribution deserves the recognition of all humanity.  And we support the proposal of the U.S. organization CodePink to award the Nobel Peace Prize to the Cuban medical brigade.