During his participation at the 25th Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza thanked member countries for their solidarity in the face of the illegal U.S. sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba, and called for a greater coordination to face the post-pandemic economic challenges.
At the virtual meeting, Arreaza said Venezuela and Cuba face the COVI-19 pandemic amid an escalation in recent weeks of the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the U.S. government, which has restricted the purchase of medical supplies in the international market to guarantee the protection of the people against coronavirus. “We believe this deserves everybody’s rejection,” he urged.
In this regard, he recalled that different bodies of the United Nations, such as the Secretary General’s Office, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and special rapporteurs, have called for the lifting of sanctions against Venezuela, Cuba and other countries amid the pandemic, and the United States has responded “with a greater cruelty, to the extent of forcing situations that can be labeled as crimes against humanity.”
Foreign Minister Arreaza stressed that in the Venezuelan case, the imposition of such restrictive measures have also affected ACS members as Petrocaribe, “a great initiative of Commander Hugo Chávez, has not been able to contribute to the development of island nations” due to these sanctions.
“Let’s imagine how important it had been for the Caribbean region that not only ALBA, with Cuban brigades and their participation in rapid and PCR tests in parts of Cuba and Venezuela, but also Petrocaribe, with his capacities, long-term loans, and social funds, would have been active in these important times,” said the Venezuelan foreign minister about the collateral damage of imperial sanctions.
In the economic field, Arreaza mentioned that ECLAC figures foresee GDP drops of 5.3% and 2.5% in Latin American and Caribbean countries, respectively. This situation, he said, forces these countries to “make joint decisions to be able to face this situation, and establish a greater coordination among countries, especially island countries, because we know that tourism, a fundamental activity for the Association member, has been severely affected, and we need to guarantee its reactivation without risking the citizens’ lives, with a great deal of prevention.”
Arreaza highlighted that amid difficulties caused by the pandemic, the region’s countries “are rediscovering the strength of humankind, the solidarity capacity of our peoples, and our Association is key because its spirit is that of solidarity and cooperation.”
“Today, at the 25th Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States, we highlight the ACS’ central role. Its spirit is that of solidarity and cooperation in times when humankind faces the hardest pandemic,” he tweeted.
The Venezuelan diplomat thanked the efforts made by the Government of Barbados as the ACS Pro Tempore President, and acknowledged Secretary General June Soomer for her years of dedication and great professional, ethical effort.