“Events in the Americas: Solidarity with Venezuela and US Youth Delegation Visits Cuba”

Two important events took place in the Americas last week. One of them was a meeting of representatives of twenty countries and organizations to express solidarity with Venezuela, which is facing difficulties and crises due to the sanctions of the US and allied powers, as well as the challenges of internal political parties. Another was when a delegation of hundreds of young people from that country visited Cuba during the six-decade-long US embargo. A one-day conference was held in Bagota under the leadership of Colombian President Gustavo Petro to discuss the political situation in Venezuela. The conference, titled International Conference on the Venezuelan Political Process, was held on April 25 at the headquarters of the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Representatives of 19 countries and the European Union participated in the meeting led by Colombian President Petro. The purpose of the meeting was to resolve tensions and pave the way for negotiations between the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the terrorist and opposition groups operating in the country with the support of the US. The talks between the two sides did not take place after November last year.

Also read; Gagged India | JANAYUGOM EDITORIAL

Colombian President Petro began his introductory speech by referring to the sanctions imposed by the United States on countries such as Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. He said that the region cannot be a place of American sanctions and should be a place of freedom and democracy. At the end of the meeting, the meeting approved the declaration presented by the Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alvano Leyva, adding the comments of the delegates. In the Venezuelan local elections held in November 2021, in the event that the major opposition parties boycotted the elections, efforts should be made to create an election schedule that makes everyone part of the process, the agreements between the government and the opposition should be parallel to the lifting of various sanctions against the country, there should be a continuation of the negotiations held in Mexico under the mediation of Norway, and the two parties should work together according to the interests of the country against the US sanctions.
The meeting was attended by representatives from Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Honduras, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Portugal and Turkey. Although the representatives of the Venezuelan government or the opposition parties were not invited to the meeting, the statement of the Venezuelan government came out after the meeting.
Acknowledging the meeting’s declaration, the statement emphasized the need to end unilateral and dangerous coercive measures under international law that create aggression against the Venezuelan people. The statement went on to call for the return of assets owned by the Venezuelan government and illegally held by foreign countries and financial institutions, and for the international community to intervene to secure the release of diplomat Alex Saab, unjustly imprisoned in the US.

Also read; Strengthening labor rights struggles

Colombian President Petro, who is taking a strong stand against the US sanctions against countries in the region, requested an end to economic measures against Venezuela in his meeting with US President Joe Biden on April 20. The subsequent meeting is considered to be the beginning of efforts to unite the opposition parties working with US support in Venezuela. A delegation of more than 200 youth arrived in Cuba on April 24 with the aim of participating in the May Day rally in Havana, the capital of Cuba. The purpose of the group’s visit was to declare that the people there are with Cuba, despite the fact that the US administration has imposed an embargo on Cuba and is continuing to strengthen it. The team arrived in Havana on April 24 and interacted with various sections of the capital’s population at a meeting held at the Yoruba Cultural Center. Climate change, the fight against racism, the housing problem and hopes for the future were discussed between the two sides. The opportunity for such a meeting and dialogue was prepared in the context of the fact that it was not possible for the people of Cuba and the people of the US to share their experiences during the 60-year embargo. It was the International People’s Assembly that provided the opportunity to visit Cuba for a group of young people who were playing a leadership role in various struggles and organizations in the US.
The group included Black Men Build, Black Youth Project 100, Black Lives Grassroots, Palestinian Youth Movement, Socialism and Liberation Party, and People’s Forum, which work in the US for the social advancement of black people. Suleka Roma of the Afray American Studies Program, a member of the group, responded that Cuba had become a victim of imperialist powers such as the US because of its successes and achievements. The members of the delegation said that Cuba, not their country, was able to extend the arms of hope to many countries of the world in the fight against the Covid epidemic.

U.S. youth were awed by accounts of more than 80 percent of Cuba’s population becoming homeowners. Although there were remnants of colonial rule, the youth activists who participated in activities for the liberation of blacks in the US heard about Cuba’s abandonment of apartheid, which still existed in the US. Abel Prieto, president of Casa de las Americas, said that there are many things to learn from Cuba that the US government has not yet understood. He adds that the US should learn the basic principle that Cuba is moving forward on the basis of social justice, popular participation, equality and democracy. The delegation was also scheduled to participate in a May Day rally in Havana, but the event was postponed due to weather problems. On that day, Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canal volunteered to meet with US youth groups. The President received this large delegation of young people who had arrived from the US after a long time with great joy.

The President spoke to around 300 delegations gathered at the palace grounds. The delegation members spoke to the President about his commitment to Cuba, fighting more forcefully against the inhumane US embargo, and enlisting more young people in that fight. American sociologist Manoro de los Sandos mentioned during the conversation that the experience of these days in Cuba was amazing. The visit shows that Cuba as well as the members of the delegation have taken to heart the visit with the aim of increasing the strength of solidarity between the peoples of the two countries in the context of the embargo that is still ongoing by the US administration. Meanwhile, when the members who came to Cuba returned home, the US authorities responded by illegally detaining them. Customs and Border Patrol forces took the gang members into custody at the US Miami and Newark Liberty International Airports.