Havana, Nov 12 (Prensa Latina) Cuba-United States ties are suffering the increased hostility and attacks of the current US administration, undermining the progress made after the annoucement of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations on December 17, 2014, a Cuban Foreign Ministry official said on Tuesday.
General Director for the United States at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, told Cubadebate that anti-Cuba sectors in the US are undoing everything achieved during the Barack Obama administration (2009-2017).
The objective is to make bilateral relations more aggressive and hinder any recovery of ties in the future, the Cuban diplomat added.
He pointed out that several fields of bilateral cooperation 'are nearly paralyzed,' and noted that mechanisms of bilateral dialogue are 'almost non-existent.'
The US has placed additional obstacles to cultural, sports and educational exchanges, as well as to ties between families on either side of the Straits of Florida, Fernandez de Cossio noted.
He added that the US government unilaterally decided two years ago to reduce the staff at its Embassy in Havana, including the head of Consular Services.
Washington unilaterally, arbitrarily and unjustly decided to expel 15 diplomats from the Cuban Embassy in Washington, he recalled.
In that regard, he stressed that for almost a year, the US Embassy has denied visas or delayed granting them to Cuban diplomatic officials in Washington.
According to the official, 'that affects the functioning of the two diplomatic missions and forces Cuba to act in reciprocity, because diplomatic relations between the two countries are based on reciprocity.'
Fernandez de Cossio commented that some of the most extreme anti-Cuba elements have publicly stated that they seek to close the respective embassies.
Asked about future measures against Cuba, Fernandez de Cossio pointed out that any measures taken by the current administration aim to 'damage the people, affect the daily life of Cubans, reduce their living standards and make life more uncomfortable.'