The United States, Lithuania and Costa Rica have established a new international initiative designed to build coordinated backing for Cuban civil society, human rights advocates and democratic movements.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
The United States, Lithuania and Costa Rica have joined forces in a new international effort focused on supporting democratic change in Cuba, bringing government officials together with Cuban opposition and civil society representatives during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The initiative, known as “Nations for a Free Cuba,” was organized around a Tuesday gathering hosted by Lithuania and led by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, according to a report Thursday by Breitbart.
Discussions centered on expanding international cooperation with Cuban civil society and democracy advocates and creating broader support for Cubans seeking political and human rights reforms.
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said Budrys met with representatives of the Cuban diaspora to discuss human rights conditions, democratic aspirations and ways governments could strengthen support for independent civil society.
“Lithuania’s position on Cuba remains strong and we support the aspirations of the Cuban people to live in a free and democratic state, respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Budrys said.
“We condemn the Cuban regime’s repression of its people and its support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” he added.
Budrys said Lithuania intends to continue assisting Cuban human rights defenders and democratic movements while encouraging additional countries to participate in international efforts supporting them.
The new initiative follows diplomatic discussions between Budrys and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington last week. During those talks, the two officials addressed “the importance of opposing the abuses of the Cuban regime,” according to a State Department readout.
Cuban opposition organizations participating in the New York gathering described the meeting as an opportunity to move international support for political change in Cuba beyond individual governments and toward a coordinated multilateral approach.
The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance, a coalition representing Cuban opposition organizations, called the gathering an important development in efforts to organize international assistance for Cubans seeking political change.
“For the first time, a group of democratic nations have sat down to discuss how to support the Cuban people,” the group said, according to Breitbart.
Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat, coordinator of the coalition, said the formation of the initiative could give Cuban opposition groups a broader international forum through which governments could coordinate their support.
“When this takes its next step, for the first time the Cuban people will have a group of nations at the international level who defend its right to be free,” Gutierrez-Boronat said.
“This means that for the first time, we are multilateralizing the backing for freedom for the Cuban people,” he added.
The initiative represents the latest effort involving the second Trump administration to place political reform and opposition to the Cuban government within a broader foreign-policy framework. Efforts to promote changes in Cuba have remained a prominent element of the administration’s approach toward the island.
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