Cuba urged to adopt political and economic reforms by US at OEA summit in Panama

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, speaking at the 56th General Assembly of the Organization of American States in Panama City, warned that the Cuban regime is “collapsing” and must carry out immediate political and economic reforms. He characterized Cuba as a “failed state” that has not held elections for 67 years and called for zero tolerance toward totalitarian regimes in the hemisphere.

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino, also addressing the OEA forum, urged members to turn agreements into concrete actions to protect democratic institutions. He highlighted four regional cases that require attention—Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia—and expressed solidarity with Venezuelan citizens affected by recent earthquakes, noting that “what we do after leaving this room will determine if this meeting had real value.”