The Cuban government denied on Sunday hosting 'foreign military or intelligence bases' in a statement responding to accusations from the United States that led Washington to seek to block all oil shipments to the island. The statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denies that Cuba is 'a threat to the national security of the United States,' that it has supported 'hostile activity' against that country, or that it has supported and financed terrorist or extremist organizations. 'Cuba does not host foreign military or intelligence bases and rejects the characterization of being a threat to the security of the United States. It has also not supported any hostile activity against that country and will not allow our territory to be used against another nation,' the statement asserts. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, signed an executive order last Thursday declaring that Cuba is a threat to national security and providing for tariffs on countries that sell or supply oil to Cuba, which in practice means the energy suffocation of the island. Among the arguments of the executive order, it was pointed out that Cuba hosted 'the largest foreign intelligence signal facilities of Russia.' The statement also denies any relationship with terrorism, another of the points mentioned in the executive order. 'Cuba unequivocally condemns terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, while reaffirming its commitment to cooperate with the United States and other nations to strengthen regional and international security,' the statement emphasizes. It also declares that it 'does not host, support, finance, or allow terrorist or extremist organizations' on its territory, as it maintains a 'zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism financing and money laundering.' 'Any past interaction that involved individuals subsequently designated as terrorists occurred only in limited humanitarian contexts, linked to internationally recognized peace processes, at the request of their respective governments, in a fully transparent manner,' it clarifies. The statement adds that Havana 'is willing to reactivate and expand bilateral cooperation with the United States to face shared transnational threats, without ever renouncing the defense of its sovereignty and independence.' Specifically, it proposes 'to renew bilateral technical cooperation in 'the fight against terrorism, the prevention of money laundering, the fight against drug trafficking, cybersecurity, human trafficking, and financial crimes.' 'The Cuban people and the American people benefit from a constructive commitment, lawful cooperation, and peaceful coexistence. Cuba reaffirms its willingness to maintain a respectful and reciprocal dialogue, oriented toward tangible results, with the Government of the United States, based on mutual interest and international law,' the statement concludes.
