US' biggest enemy openly rebukes Trump diplomat for...; not China, Iran, Russia, the country is...
Donald Trump (File)
US-Cuba relations: has accused the United States mission of fomenting internal discord in the island nation, and issued a verbal warning to Mike Hammer, the top US diplomat in Havana. In a statement on Friday, the Cuban Foreign Ministry said it has issued a verbal warning to Hammer, accusing the US Chief of Mission of 'interventionist' behavior, Reuters reported. Cuba slams US diplomat for 'interventionist' behavior
Cuba alleged that Mike Hammer had incited 'Cuban citizens to commit serious criminal acts, attack the constitutional order, or encourage them to act against the authorities', and claimed that his actions violated the Vienna Convention norms on diplomatic relations, the report said.
'The immunity he (Hammer) enjoys as a representative of his country cannot be used as cover for acts contrary to the sovereignty and internal order of the country to which he is accredited, in this case Cuba,' Cuba's statement said.
The latest escalation is being view as part of rising tensions between US and Cuba– long time foes since the Cold War era– under the Donald Trump administration. Cuba, which was close ties to the erstwhile Soviet Union, is still considered close to Russia, the US' arch nemesis. Why Cuba chastised Trump diplomat?
Cuba's scathing chastisement of Mike Hammer comes after the US diplomat, who arrived in the Caribbean nation six months ago, started meeting political dissident across the Island, drawing the ire of the Cuban government, which has accused him of seeking to foment unrest in the country.
Since his arrival, Cuba has criticized Hammer on multiple occasions, but has not restricted his travels across the island. The Cuban foreign ministry's statement comes days after Hammer told a presser in Miami that Trump administration was preparing further sanctions against Cuba. US' response to Cuba's statement
Meanwhile, the US statement has defended the actions of its top diplomat in Cuba, saying 'Chief of Mission Mike Hammer and the U.S. Embassy proudly represent President Trump by implementing an America First foreign policy and seeking accountability for the Cuban regime for its malign influence across the Americas.'
'We will continue to meet with Cuban patriots, religious leaders, and those fighting for the freedoms of Cubans,' a State Department official said, according to Reuters.
The rising US-Cuba tensions come at a time when the country is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, a predicament Cuba blames on the Cold War-era US embargo, which restricted financial transactions, trade, tourism and fuel imports into the island nation.
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