Cuba’s deputy foreign minister says talks with the US are very preliminary, as Havana denounces sanctions and braces for potential American aggression.
HAVANA: Talks between Cuba and the United States on de-escalating tensions remain at a “very preliminary” stage, according to a senior Cuban official.
Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal (pic) stated that structured negotiations between the two governments have not yet begun.
“We are in a very preliminary, very initial phase, and there are still no structured negotiations between the two governments,” Vidal told AFP during a demonstration in Havana.
The event denounced the impact of longstanding US sanctions on the impoverished island nation.
Cuba has been preparing for a potential US attack following threats from President Donald Trump.
Trump previously spoke of “taking” the communist-run island after ousting Venezuela’s leader and attacking Iran.
The former Cold War rivals have, however, engaged in exploratory talks amid the heightened tensions.
Trump effectively shut down oil exports to Cuba in January after US forces ousted Havana’s ally, Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro.
He also threatened tariffs on other countries shipping oil to Cuba, worsening an existing energy crisis marked by blackouts.
Washington allowed a Russian oil tanker through last week in a minor shift.
Vidal was a key architect of the diplomatic thaw under President Barack Obama in 2015.
She contrasted the current preliminary contacts with the more structured negotiations of that earlier period.
In 2015, “we worked to create a relationship that was not without differences, but that did not place those differences at the center,” Vidal stressed.
She insisted that “Cuba has always believed in dialogue” and “not in confrontation.”
In recent weeks, Cuba has taken some steps seemingly aimed at easing tensions.
The government released groups of prisoners in two batches, calling it a “humanitarian gesture.”
It announced a pardon for more than 2,000 prisoners last week, though NGOs say none were political detainees.
At least 20 political prisoners were reportedly released in mid-March.