In the final days of his presidency, Joe Biden has finally removed Cuba from the spurious and arbitrary list of countries that the US claims "sponsor terrorism". Cuba had been added to this list in the last days of the Trump administration and this caused even greater difficulties for the already blockaded Cuban economy.
As the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex) noted, on January 14 the government of the United States announced the following decisions:
1. Remove Cuba from the State Department list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism;
2. Make use of the presidential faculty to prevent US courts from taking action with regards to lawsuits that might be filed by virtue of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act; and
3. Eliminate the list of restricted Cuban entities that designates a group of institutions which US citizens and institutions are not allowed to make financial transactions with, which has had an impact on third countries.
In a statement Minrex said:
Despite its limited scope, this is a decision that points to the right direction and is in line with the sustained and firm demand by the government and the people of Cuba, as well as the broad, emphatic and reiterated call by numerous governments, particularly those of Latin America and the Caribbean; Cubans residing abroad; political, religious and social organizations and numerous political figures of the United States and other countries. The government of Cuba expresses its gratitude to all of them for their contribution and sensitivity.
This decision puts an end to specific coercive measures which, together with many others, seriously damage the Cuban economy and have a severe impact on the population. This is, and has been, an ever-present issue in all official exchanges between Cuba and the Government of the United States.
It is important to point out that the economic blockade and a large part of the tens of coercive measures entered into force since 2017 to further strengthen it, still remain in force, with their full extraterritorial impact and in violation of International Law and the human rights of all Cubans...
The economic warfare is still in place and persists in posing a major obstacle to the development and recovery of the Cuban economy, with a high human cost for the population; and continues to be an incentive for emigration.
The decision announced today by the United States, rectifies, in a very limited way, some aspects of a cruel and unjust policy. This is a rectification that is being introduced right now, on the verge of a change of government, when it should have been materialized years ago, as an elemental act of justice, without asking for anything in return and without fabricating pretexts to justify inaction, if there was a true intention to act properly. Recognition of the truth, the absolute absence of reasons for such designation and the exemplary performance of our country in the combat of terrorism, something that has been recognized even by several US government agencies, should have sufficed to remove Cuba from the arbitrary list of State sponsors of terrorism.
(Full statement: The United States takes steps in the right direction, but the blockade remains in force. | Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba)
On X Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla noted that "Cuba should have never been included in (the) arbitrary list of State sponsors of terrorism. That was an arbitrary and politically motivated designation with very severe impact on the Cuban population, damaging (the) economy, causing scarcities and encouraging migration to US."
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