It demanded that the Trump administration remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

On Sunday, the African Union approved a resolution condemning the U.S. blockade against the Cuban revolution and demanded Cuba’s removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

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Through social media, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel responded to the African countries, thanking them for a gesture of solidarity at a time of an “oil blockade” ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“We appreciate the approval by African heads of state of the resolution condemning the United States blockade, which once again called for Cuba’s exclusion from the unilateral list of state sponsors of terrorism. Its value is even greater in these times of the brutal attempt by the U.S. to energetically suffocate our entire people,” he said.

“Thank you for that show of solidarity, after the executive order that seeks to block our oil supplies and suffocate the entire Cuban people,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said in reaction to the position reaffirmed by African countries.

The bloc has approved 17 consecutive resolutions against the economic blockade, and it is the third time it has underscored the arbitrary nature of Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, according to the news agency Prensa Latina.

According to the Cuban Embassy in Ethiopia, African leaders expressed concern about the intensification of the negative effects of Washington’s embargo, especially in the current context, as Havana continues to face significant economic and social challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

They also denounced the extraterritorial scope of the policy, including the application of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which strengthens restrictions and extends their consequences beyond U.S. borders.

The African Union’s resolution reaffirms the deep historical, political and solidarity ties that unite the peoples of Africa and Cuba and constitutes a clear expression of support for eliminating the measure, which they consider unjust, illegal and contrary to the principles of international law and state sovereignty, Prensa Latina pointed out.

“Africa owes a huge debt to Cuba and this solidarity is fully justified,” said Diane Abbott, a British Labour activist elected as a member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: PL – Gramma

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