The United States "strongly" condemned on Monday the attack on the Cuban embassy in Washington and pledged to carry out "an appropriate investigation" into what happened.
"Hate launched last night, again, a terrorist attack against our Embassy in Washington, in an act of violence and impotence that could have cost valuable lives," said Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, on his X account, before Twitter.
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez had reported during Sunday night on the same social network that the Cuban embassy had been the target of a "terrorist attack by an individual who threw 2 Molotov cocktails," but the staff of the diplomatic representation did not suffer any damage.
The government of US President Joe Biden, which maintains a tense relationship with Cuba, under embargo since 1962, "strongly condemns the reported attack," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement on Monday night.
"Attacks against diplomatic facilities are unacceptable," he said.
Sullivan specified that the government is "in contact with Cuban embassy officials and law enforcement authorities to ensure an appropriate and timely investigation," as well as to offer "support for future protection efforts."
The Cuban ambassador to the United States, Lianys Torres Rivera, stated in X that the American authorities were allowed access to the diplomatic legation "to take samples of the Molotov cocktails."
Washington recognizes that the protection of embassies is part of its "obligations under the Vienna Conventions" and "is committed to the security of diplomatic facilities and the diplomats who work in them," the State Department spokesperson told reporters. , Matthew Miller.
For its part, Russia, a historical ally of Cuba, "strongly" condemned the incident and urged the North American authorities to carry out an "in-depth" investigation.
"Those responsible for orchestrating this should be severely punished," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
"Second attack"
Foreign Minister Rodríguez emphasized that this is the "second violent attack against the diplomatic headquarters in Washington", in reference to another incident that occurred in April 2020, when a man fired shots at the Cuban embassy in the US capital.
Mexico has expressed its solidarity with Cuba by asking for "a thorough investigation and bringing those responsible to justice," according to a statement from the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Sunday night attack occurred a few hours after Díaz-Canel returned to Havana after having spent the entire week in New York, where he attended the United Nations General Assembly and other activities with Cuban supporters in the United States. .
In New York, demonstrations by Cubans against Díaz-Canel's presence in the UN Assembly were also recorded, according to messages and videos spread on social networks.
"Anti-Cuban groups resort to terrorism because they feel impunity, something that Cuba has repeatedly warned US authorities about," Rodríguez said in X.
After the attack in April 2020, US authorities arrested Alexander Alazo, 42, a resident of Texas, accused of "assault with intent to kill."
Strain
However, "after three years, the perpetrator of the incident still awaits trial and the United States government has refused to classify the incident as a terrorist act," the Cuban Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
Upon his arrival at the White House in January 2021, the US president promised to review policy towards Cuba, but changed his mind after the anti-government demonstrations in July of that same year on the island, which left one dead and dozens injured. and after which hundreds of protesters remain imprisoned.
Before leaving power in 2021, his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, once again included Cuba on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism and later added it to the list of nations that do not respect religious freedom.
As of today, a normalization of relations with the communist island does not seem to be on Biden's agenda despite some measures in the area of immigration and the lifting of certain travel restrictions and the sending of remittances.
