Periodico 26

Havana, Cuba.- However, he noted that goal cannot be accomplished due to the lack of political will of industrialized nations.

Rodríguez made these remarks Friday at the 26th Ibero-American Summit that took place in the colonial Guatemalan city of Antigua.

The island's top diplomat and head of the Cuban delegation to the Summit conveyed to the representatives of all participating nations the greetings of President Miguel Díaz-Canel, as well as the message of friendship of the people and government of Cuba.

He referred to the unjust international economic and political order that prevents building prosperous, inclusive and sustainable societies, and he assured that the production and consumption patterns of capitalism are irrational and lead, inexorably, to the destruction of the environment.

Speaking at the high-level segment of the meeting, Cuba's foreign minister recalled that Latin America continues to be the most unequal region on the planet. "The richest 10% of the population appropriated 71% of the region´s wealth, and it is estimated that in 2017, more than 187 million people lived in poverty and 62 million in conditions of extreme poverty,' he added.

The head of Cuban delegation added that in view of the growing unilateral threats that stem from the reinstatement of the U.S. Monroe Doctrine, the observance of the principles contained in the 'Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace' is fundamental.

Regarding the end of Cuba's participation in Brazil's "More Doctors Program" due to the hostile position of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, Rodriguez thanked -- on behalf of the medical personnel, of the Cuban people and of his government -- the millions of Brazilians who welcomed the Cubans with great affection and are now victims of political manipulation.

After enumerating the multiple difficulties that Cuba is experiencing due to the reinforcement of the United States blockade, Rodríguez emphasized that the Cuban people are advancing freely in the construction of an independent, socialist, democratic, prosperous and sustainable nation.

CUBA: IBERO-AMERICAN CHAMPION OF SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION

In the framework of the 26th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, a new volume was presented, which underscores Cuba's leadership in south-south cooperation.

Cuba, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina are listed among Ibero-American champions of horizontal cooperation, either south-south or triangular cooperation. The new text points to the triangular modality as the ideal for wealthy nations' active participation in cooperation initiatives.

The text compiles seven thousand 3 hundred cooperation initiatives, including best practices, experience and expertise sharing and solutions to problems that affect Ibero-American nations, either individually or collectively.

Cuba is included in the text for its participation in a total of 686 cooperation projects in such areas as health, education, industry, agriculture, the environment, science, technology and innovation.

The data provided is the result of a thorough review of previously published reports on south-south cooperation in the Ibero-American region.

Each and every report was written through concerted, multilateral action involving all 22 Ibero-American nations in their common effort to promote south-south cooperation amongst them and with nations outside the Community.

IBERO-AMERICA SUMMIT URGES LIFTING OF WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE OF CUBA

The 26th Ibero-American Summit issued a special communiqué, urging Washington to lift its nearly six-decades-old economic, commercial and financial blockade on Cuba.

The proposal, introduced by the Cuban delegation, garnered the support of most Ibero-American foreign ministers at their meeting, prior to the Summit's high-level segment on Friday. The text points to the extraterritorial nature of the blockade policy, particularly the so-called Helms-Burton Law, which punishes third nations and parties that do business or promote foreign investment in the Caribbean state.

On November 1st, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution, for the 27th consecutive year, that calls for an end to this unilateral, coercive policy that punishes an entire people for not renouncing their inalienable rights to their self-determination and defending their nation's sovereignty and independence against foreign interference of any kind. (RHC)

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