US, Cuba In War of Words Over Embassy Shooting

Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, and US State Department are currently embroiled in a war of word over what the Cuban administration labeled ‘complacent silence’ following a shooting at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC, and for trying to thwart Cuban efforts to battle the coronavirus.

Rodriguez Parrilla said the US government has shown little cooperation following the incident in April when a man opened fire on the Embassy, riddling the front of the building with gunfire. He said the State Department has been slow to share information and that senior administration officials failed to condemn the attack.

“The attacker confessed that he aimed to kill. It’s a very serious issue. Can you imagine what would be the US reaction in a similar case of a similar attack against an American embassy anywhere in the world? In the midst of the pandemic, the Secretary of State Mr. [Mike] Pompeo is constantly advocating against Cuban medical cooperation and slandered Cuban medical doctors instead of saying one word about the terrorist attack that happened a few blocks not only from the White House but from the State Department” he said.

The Trump administration has tightened economic sanctions on Cuba and asked countries not to accept Cuban medical assistance to fight the coronavirus outbreak, arguing that the doctors and nurses Cuba sends are underpaid and used for propaganda purposes.

But the US State Department said that despite political differences, Cuban diplomats are safe in the US.

“The Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service works closely with law enforcement agencies to protect and maintain the security and safety of foreign missions in the United States,” said a statement issued by the US Embassy in Havana on Tuesday. “The US law enforcement process is transparent with strict jurisprudence and many records about cases and court proceedings publicly available,” the department said.