MOSCOW, July 15. /TASS/. Washington is seeking to manifest a color revolution in Cuba, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
"The logic is simple here. It has been tested on numerous occasions by Washington in various situations, but everything is one and the same mode of operation - instigating color revolutions against undesirable regimes. At first, sanctions are introduced against them, and artificial problems are created or imposed from outside, which complicate the social and economic situation. On this basis, tensions are provoked, and anti-government sentiment is stirred up. When a critical mass is reached, the whole blame is laid on the national government. Labels are pinned on it, its activity is discredited and thus the situation nears a collapse," Zakharova said.
"There have been attempts to use the same scheme in Cuba. Despite all measures to support the country’s economy and provide assistance to the citizens, taken by the central Cuban authorities, Washington is blaming them for the current crisis. They allege that Havana is refusing to accept American assistance, is unwilling to take part in international mechanisms of distributing vaccines, and is carrying out an anti-popular policy in general," the diplomat said.
Cynicism of the US
Statements made by the United States pinning the blame for the situation in Cuba on the government raise eyebrows the Russian diplomat noted. "We were baffled by the United States’ official statements regarding the situation in Cuba in connection with the latest events. With surprising impudence, the US portrays the developments in Cuba at all levels, including the official announcement made at the State Department briefing on July 13, as a consequence of the government’s mistakes," Zakharova stated.
She noted that "the special cynicism of Washington" comes down to the fact that for the entire history of revolutionary Cuba, it deliberately held a strategy of "stifling the country, discriminating against its people and destroying the economy".
Zakharova added that Washington’s discrimination is still active, and it is even harsher during the global pandemic, which requires reconciliation and united efforts. "The US is talking about humanitarian needs; however, they are escalating tensions and confrontation following their own narrow and selfish interests".
Call for non-interference
Moscow calls on Washington not to interfere in Cuba’s domestic affairs and to lift the blockade of the country due to the difficult situation on the island, Zakharova stressed.
"We are calling on Washington to take on an objective position finally, to get rid of the hypocrisy and hidden agendas in politics, and to let the Cubans, their government and people, deal with the situation themselves and determine their fate. There is only one thing required from the US and its supporters: not to interfere in the affairs of a sovereign state," she said. "And if Washington really is concerned over the humanitarian situation in Cuba and wants to help regular Cubans, they need to start with themselves, by lifting the blockade, which was opposed from the start by the entire global community".
According to her, the Americans are glossing over their own "subversive acts and conjunctural goals". "Without making any parallels, we would like to remind our American colleagues about the recent events in their own domestic political life. Where was their concern for humanitarian values, political plurality, and democratic freedoms, when participants of the "storming of the Capitol" on January 6, accused of domestic terrorism for having different political values, who are now facing criminal responsibility, were detained throughout the country?"
Washington’s actions regarding Cuba represent "another political play, an example of the well-established American policy of double standards with a selective use of legal norms, and with a biased and differential interpretation of the same of similar events," Zakharova stressed.
Situation in Cuba
On July 11, Cuban state television reported unrest in several cities. Mass demonstrations earlier began in the town of San Antonio de los Banos located 24 kilometers south of Havana. Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel called on the defenders of the Cuban revolution to take to the streets to prevent provocations against the government. According to official data, several law enforcement officers were injured in clashes with the rioters.