(25 Apr 2019) Cuba on Thursday demanded proof from the US government that it was involved in supporting the embattled government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with security and military personnel, as alleged by Trump Administration officials.
The island's foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez harshly criticized US National Security Advisor John Bolton at a news conference, calling him a "pathological liar."
Bolton said some 20,000 Cubans sent to Venezuela were providing security support for the Maduro Government, rejecting the charge and describing the large Cuban contingent as medical and social workers.
"That State Department memorandum says Cuban Special Forces were deployed to the border between Colombia and Venezuela to engage in provocative military exercises. That's a lie," said Rodriguez.
He then proceeded to ask the US to provide evidence for the claims.
Despite tensions, Cuba said it would continue to seek stronger relations with a wide array of US interests, including businesses, in spite of what it regards as a "hostile" Trump Administration and the tightening of American sanctions against the island.
"We will continue to expand our ties with all United States sectors," Rodriguez said at a news conference Thursday in Havana.
"So, while the government of the United States attempts to shut off and tighten, Cuba will continue to be even more open to healthy relations."
Rodriguez says the Cuban Government will take "all necessary measures" to contest any lawsuits against its interests, and questioned the goals of the Trump Administration in further tightening sanctions, saying the policy appears to be aimed against sectors the US government claims it wants to support and encourage.
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