Cuban President Díaz‑Canel Sends Video Message to French Communist Party Congress

Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel recorded a video greeting for the French Communist Party’s 40th congress, thanking the party’s “continuous support and solidarity” for Cuba amid what he described as a “multidimensional U.S. aggression.” He highlighted the material aid, statements and projects the French party has provided and praised their stance against the U.S. embargo.

Díaz‑Canel urged French and European partners to continue defending the application of the EU’s 1996 Statute of Blockade – legislation aimed at countering the extraterritorial reach of the U.S. sanctions regime – and to promote its use in all forums to protect joint economic projects in sectors such as tourism, mining and finance.

He condemned the recent U.S. executive orders of 29 January and 1 May for tightening an economic, commercial and financial siege that he likened to a naval blockade, adding that secondary sanctions threaten foreign investment. The president also warned of a “growing and open threat of direct military aggression” from the United States and dismissed a Florida court accusation against former army chief Raúl Castro as a political provocation.