Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Cuba insisted today on compliance with the agreements with the United States to guarantee regular, safe and orderly migration, said Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, at a press conference, after the round of migration talks held in Havana.
The diplomat explained that the Cuban delegation reiterated the island’s willingness to comply with the established commitments and showed concern about the measures that the U.S. government keeps in force by political decision, with special emphasis on the impact of the economic, commercial and financial blockade, and the extreme reinforcement measures applied against the Caribbean nation.
Fernández de Cossío said that the inclusion of Cuba in the list of state sponsors of terrorism and the socioeconomic effects that derive from this measure, translate into an important stimulus for irregular migration, as recognized by several heads of state and members of Congress of the United States itself.
During the round of migratory talks, the fourth since the inauguration of the current U.S. government, Cuba reiterated its rejection of the granting of political asylum in the United States to the perpetrators of hijacking of aircraft and insisted that illegal acts of this nature can have dangerous consequences for the national security of both countries.
The Cuban leadership reiterated the need to re-establish the processing of visas for non-emigrants at the U.S. embassy in Havana and also stressed the importance of compliance with bilateral migration agreements in their entirely.
It was a useful exercise, but there is still a lot of work to be done, the diplomat said, and reaffirmed Cuba’s position of complying with bilateral agreements.
Cuban and U.S. authorities held a meeting in Havana within the framework of the migration negotiations, which resumed last July after a six-year hiatus. (ACN)
