CUBA Says it's Not Removed from US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism

HAVANA, Cuba, May 20, 2024 - The Government of Cuba says despite an announcement last week by Secretary of State Blinken, the government of Cuba is still on the US State Department list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.

In a statement by Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minrex, The US State Secretary submitted to the Congress a report of  four countries which allegedly “do not fully cooperate with the United States antiterrorist efforts for the 2023 calendar year.” As opposed to what has happened in recent years, the list does not include Cuba among such countries.

“Nonetheless, the State Department keeps Cuba as one of the States in a list of those allegedly “sponsoring” terrorism. It is nothing but a totally unilateral and unfounded list, whose sole purpose is to smear sovereign States and serve as a pretext for imposing coercive economic sanctions on them, as those ruthlessly imposed on Cuba,” Minrex said.

According to the Cuban government,  the United States government continues to perpetuate such injustice on the Cuban people, much to the consternation of many regional  governments in Latin America and the Caribbean.

There have also been demands by political, social and religious organizations in the United States itself and by several U.S. politicians that the US remove Cuba from the notorious list of state sponsors of terrorism.

“The clear and absolute truth is that Cuba does not sponsor terrorism, but it has been a victim of it instead, including State terrorism. This is a question that can be confirmed by anyone interested in the topic and that is very well-known by the government of the United States, its State Department and its intelligence and law enforcement agencies. 

“They are also fully aware of how significantly harmful are for the Cuban economy the sanctions, actions and the intimidating effect that automatically have on any State having it included in such a list, regardless of what the truth might be.

“It is not enough to acknowledge that Cuba fully cooperates with the United States. Cuba does so with the entire international community as well. 

That is a widely known fact and public opinion is not to be misled about it.  The President of the United States has all the privileges to act honestly and to do what is right.

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