Havana, Sep 23 (RHC) On Friday, Belize's ambassador to Havana, Lou-Anne Burns handed over a donation of some 25,000 dollars to Cuba, following the accident that occurred last August at the Supertanker Base in the western city of Matanzas.

The diplomat said that in her country they shared the pain of the events in the industrial zone of Matanzas.

Burns emphasized that it is important for her government and its people to say "we are here" with Cuba, even if it is through a symbolic gesture.

The ambassador highlighted the excellent diplomatic relations between both nations and stressed that they are the result of respect and sincere friendship.

For her part, the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment (Mincex) of Cuba, Ana Teresita González, thanked the sister country for the gesture.

Likewise, González stressed that the cash donation and the advice offered by Belizean institutions came at a complex moment, aggravated by the economic, commercial, and financial blockade of the United States towards the island.

The Vice Minister pointed out that the current national scenario is also affected by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the complexities of the international economic context.

The official highlighted the value of solidarity when the U.S. administration maintains in force arbitrary measures such as the unjustified inclusion of Cuba in the list of countries sponsoring terrorism.

"It is a qualification that imposes a stigma on Cuban entities and institutions, and makes financial and commercial transactions and the possibilities of payments and credits extremely difficult," said the first Deputy Minister of the MINCEX.

Furthermore, González welcomed the profound rejection of the Government of Belize, in several scenarios, to a genocidal and imperialist policy such as the U.S. blockade. (Source: PL)