By María Josefina Arce.
Cuba has always advocated for an orderly, regular, and safe migration to protect the life of migrants, a position reiterated in international forums and talks with the United States on the subject.
Precisely in the last hours, both parties held a new meeting in Washington, which gave continuity to those held in April last year in the U.S. capital and in November in Havana.
Cuban authorities have pointed out that in 2022 positive steps were recorded, such as the resumption of the issuance of visas at the U.S. embassy in the Cuban capital, a procedure suspended in 2017 by the administration of the now former President Donald Trump as a result of what he described as sonic attacks against members of his diplomatic corps, who reported health disorders.
Let us recall that highly qualified Cuban personnel carried out an exhaustive investigation that proved the falsity of that argument, used by Washington to intensify its hostile policy.
Likewise, intelligence agencies of the neighboring country concluded that it was very unlikely that these disorders were associated with a foreign actor or an energy weapon.
Historically, Cuba has guaranteed the safety of foreign diplomats, and not even in the tensest moments between the two countries has the U.S. diplomatic headquarters or its officials been attacked.
Despite the progress made, Cuba pointed out in Washington that incentives for irregular immigration are still present, as well as the persistence of extreme and inhumane measures that threaten the welfare of the population.
To the maintenance of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade, condemned on 30 occasions by the UN General Assembly, must be added the Cuban Adjustment Act, enacted in 1966 which has granted privileges for decades to those born in the island nation.
Another issue denounced by Havana at the meeting is the recent granting of political asylum to the hijacker of an airplane, in open violation of the agreements between the two nations, international law, and civil aeronautics, in addition to the fact that impunity for actions of this type constitutes a negative and dangerous precedent.
A statement issued last March by the Cuban Foreign Ministry on this event recalls that the history of air piracy tolerated by the United States for purposes of destabilization and political hostility against Cuba has a well-known history of very negative and sensitive consequences.
Once again Cuba made clear its willingness to comply with and respect, as it has done so far, the commitments established and to give continuity to the rounds of talks on migration issues between the two neighboring nations.
