Latin American Leaders Stand with Cuba, Condemn U.S. Embargo 

Leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean spoke out against U.S. sanctions on Cuba at the 9th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held in Honduras on April 9. See their statements in this video.

TRANSCRIPT

President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said: We can’t stand by in the face of the U.S. blockade against Cuba.

“We condemn the cruel and inhumane economic blockade imposed for over 64 years by the U.S. against the heroic Cuban people. Cuba does not export terrorists. Cuba exports teachers, scientists, doctors,”, Honduran President Xiomara Castro affirmed.

The Cuban doctors are in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.And we have shown that we have no trafficking in persons. That we have no abuse of the Cuban doctors, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves remarked.

And I want to reiterate our thanks and gratitude to the Cuban government for all that they have been doing to help countries all over the world, including Caribbean countries, Gonsalves added.

President of Uruguay Yamandu Orsi expressed: In our region, this call to respect international law leads us to reaffirm two historical claims related to the defense of sovereignty and the right of every state to live freely: the threats, aggressions and unilateral coercive measures related to the U.S. blockade on Cuba and Argentina’s right over the Falkland Islands.

We reject, as Mexico has historically done, sanctions and commercial blockades that only harm the well-being of the people and don’t build regions of peace and prosperity. No to the blockade on Cuba, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pointed this out.