Havana, July 4 (RHC) -- The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) denounced the multi-billion dollar fine imposed by the government of the United States against the French bank BNP Paribas, saying it's a blatant violation of states sovereignty and the rules of free trade and international law.

A MINREX statement warns that with this new fine, the administration of President Barack Obama has gone beyond all its predecessors, accumulating penalties that exceed $11 billion USD against scores of entities, applied under many different sanction regimes.

This fine, the largest imposed historically by the U.S. government for violations of its blockade on Cuba and current sanctions against third countries, violates the rules of International Law, and is described as an extraterritorial and illegal application of U.S. legislation against a foreign entity.

MINREX said that as a Free Trade Agreement between the United States and the European Union is being negotiated, it might be asked whether this is how the U.S. government intends to continue treating its allies.

BNP Paribas joins a long list of U.S. and foreign financial, trade, economic entities that have been subjected to punitive measures, in the context of the worsening of the blockade and, especially, the financial persecution of Cuba.

Once again, the U.S. government has ignored the overwhelming international rejection of this criminal and failed policy against our nation, the Ministry said, qualifying the fine as an assault on the states sovereignty, and the rules of free trade and international law.