{"id":237864,"date":"2021-04-22T14:13:04","date_gmt":"2021-04-22T18:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=237864"},"modified":"2021-04-22T14:14:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-22T18:14:28","slug":"diaz-canel-highlights-science-and-innovation-in-cuba-and-defends-maduro-government-at-iberian-american-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/diaz-canel-highlights-science-and-innovation-in-cuba-and-defends-maduro-government-at-iberian-american-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"D\u00edaz-Canel highlights science and innovation in Cuba and defends Maduro government at Iberian-American Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cuban President <\/span>Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel<\/span><\/a> highlighted the role of science and innovation in Cuba, particularly in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and defended the government of his Venezuelan counterpart Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, during his speech at the 27th Iberian-American Summit in Andorra.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the forum, held this Wednesday in virtual format, the island\u2019s president affirmed that Cuba \u201chas experiences to show\u201d and attaches \u201cspecial importance\u201d to the theme of the event, which on this occasion was \u201cInnovation for Sustainable Development – 2030 Goals. Iberian-America in the face of the coronavirus challenge.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The also First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), a post to which he was elected to take over from former President Ra\u00fal Castro during the recently concluded 8th Congress of the organization, affirmed that the island\u2019s economic and social development national plan until 2030 is \u201caligned with the Sustainable Development Goals\u201d and \u201cgives a leading role to scientific research.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

D\u00edaz-Canel pointed out that in Cuba \u201cthe links between government structures with the sectors of knowledge and the production of goods and services have been strengthened to promote innovation based on economic and social development with emphasis on social development\u201d and said that the country \u201ctoday has 229 scientific, technology and innovation entities,\u201d <\/span>according to <\/span><\/a>the official newspaper <\/span>Granma<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, he stressed that the island has five COVID-19 vaccine candidates, two of which are already in phase III of clinical trials and confirmed that his government hopes to \u201cimmunize the entire Cuban population before the end of 2021 with its own vaccines.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Cuban president highlighted the role of the Caribbean nation\u2019s pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, as well as the free public health system, which, he said, has allowed the country to face the pandemic despite the fact that the United States embargo has been \u201cbrutally\u201d intensified in recent times.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also denounced Washington\u2019s support and financing of \u201cdangerous acts of violence and disrespect for the law to promote social and political instability\u201d in Cuba, as well as the campaigns \u201cto discredit and boycott the island\u2019s medical collaboration\u201d in the fight against COVID -19 in 40 countries and territories, which, he asserted, \u201cdid not tarnish our vocation for solidarity and cooperation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/PresidenciaCuba\/status\/1384912422608285696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1384912422608285696%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fdiaz-canel-resalta-ciencia-e-innovacion-de-cuba-y-defiende-al-gobierno-de-maduro-en-cumbre-iberoamericana%2F<\/p>\n

Support for Maduro government<\/b><\/p>\n

D\u00edaz-Canel considered it \u201cuseful and sincere\u201d to recognize the failure of the United States\u2019 strategy with respect to Venezuela, which has had the support of several nations in the region, and asked that \u201cthe government headed by constitutional President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro Moros be respected.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be useful and sincere to recognize that the U.S. design of intervention in Venezuela failed miserably and placed other countries that supported it in an unsustainable political and legal situation,\u201d said in his online speech the island\u2019s president, which marked the presence of a Cuban president in the Iberian-American Summit after two decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also stated that \u201cit is unfair to blame the Venezuelan government for the economic and social situation\u201d it is going through, for which he blamed the United States and \u201cseveral of its allies\u201d for having applied \u201ccruel unilateral measures.\u201d \u201cThose who claim to respect the will of the Venezuelan people should recognize that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is a sovereign state,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n

Venezuela is Cuba\u2019s main political ally in the region and one of its biggest economic partners since the arrival of the late Hugo Ch\u00e1vez to the presidency. This alliance has been continued by Maduro, first during the mandate of Ra\u00fal Castro and now during that of D\u00edaz-Canel, despite the crisis that both nations are going through.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maduro, who was appointed as the representative of Venezuela in the Iberian-American forum over the opposition leader Juan Guaid\u00f3, whom several countries in the region recognize as president, finally decided not to participate and delegated responsibility to his vice president, Delcy Rodr\u00edguez.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cuba acusa a EEUU de crear el \u201cclima\u201d para una \u201cintervenci\u00f3n militar\u201d en Venezuela<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n