Cuba and the United States this Thursday and Friday held in Havana a technical exchange on cooperation to combat terrorism, reported the Cuban Ministry of the Interior (MININT).
Authorities from both governments discussed the hijacking of aircraft and maritime vessels, as well as the use of digital media for violent purposes, according to a press release published this Friday on MININT’s official website.
El 27 y 28 de abril de 2023 se desarrolló en La Habana intercambio técnico entre #Cuba y Estados Unidos sobre cooperación para el enfrentamiento al terrorismo, incluido el secuestro de aeronaves y embarcaciones marítimas y el empleo de redes digitales con fines violentos. pic.twitter.com/KDas1ZGYBr
— MININT_CUBA (@minint_cuba) April 29, 2023
“Both parties agreed on the importance of cooperation in this sphere, and agreed to continue technical meetings in the future,” it said.
Likewise, it regretted that the administration in Washington accuses Cuba in an “arbitrary and unjustified” manner of being a “sponsor of terrorism” and considered that carrying out this exchange “is an expression of the commitment of the Cuban government in the fight against this scourge, and of the commitment to take all necessary steps to combat its perpetrators.”
“It does not contradict the absolute rejection of the list issued by the State Department on this issue, which was duly recorded at the meeting,” added the report cited by Cuban media.
The MININT recalled that this meeting “is a continuation of what was agreed in the bilateral talks on application and compliance with the law,” held on January 18 and 19 of this year on the island.
After the January talks on cooperation in judicial matters, this is the second meeting of this type held since the bilateral talks on national security were halted during the administration of former President Donald Trump (2017-2021).
In addition, it has taken place after several months of a timid rapprochement between the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden and the island’s authorities, marked by the resumption of talks to discuss immigration issues.
The Cuban delegation was made up of representatives of the Ministries of the Interior and of Foreign Relations, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic and the General Customs of the Republic.
Officials from the Justice, State, National Security Departments and the Embassy in Cuba participated for the United States.
EFE/OnCuba
This is a great step towards tearing down the embargo. Finally allowing Cuba to trade export import and be like it always should be. Cuba has so much more to offer the world than just tourism.