The Voice of Cuba in the Big Apple

International media closely followed all the events in which the Cuban delegation took part while in New York, including the meeting held between Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro at UN headquarters.

As it was predicted by observers during the visit of Pope Francis’s visit to Cuba, the trip of President Raul Castro to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly would be special occasion to foster the relations of the Caribbean island with the international community, and would have significant impact inside the northern country.

In this sense, the media highlighted all the events in which the Cuban delegation took part, including the meeting held between Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro at UN headquarters, in the presence of their respective accompanying delegations.

According to Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, during the talks Raul reiterated that in order to keep normal relations between the two countries, the blockade that has caused damages and hardships to the Cuban people should be lifted.

During this second formal meeting held between both leaders —the first took place in Panama within the last Summit of the Americas— Obama was receptive and agreed upon the unfeasibility of the blockade.

Among the many events that took place during the last few days at UN, it’s difficult to determine which was the most important, although this meeting with the head of the superpower is definitely among the most relevant ones.

Cuba has not given up its traditional claims, as some people expected when the rapprochement between the island and USA was started. Cuba continues to support the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in front of the internal and external attempts to destroy it; backs other brother countries of the continent who also face pressures and subversion; stands by Argentina in the struggle to recover Malvinas, Georgias and Sandwich del Sur Islands; and claims indemnification for the small Caribbean States due to the damages caused by slavery.

Raul arrived in New York with the guarantee of the successful visit paid to Cuba by Pope Francis, and the signing in Havana of a historic agreement between Colombia and FARC-EP.

While in the United States, he met with several other heads of state and government, American personalities, and business people, among others.