Bogotá, Sep 1 (Prensa Latina) Cuba will reaffirm its commitment to regular, orderly, and safe migration during the 15th Summit of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, to be held in Riohacha, Colombia, Deputy Foreign Minister Elio Rodríguez stated here today. In exclusive statements to Prensa Latina, the Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister revealed that the participation of his country’s delegation in this important event is in response to an invitation extended during the visit to Havana last July by Colombia’s current Foreign Minister, Rosa Villavicencio.
The diplomat asserted that the migration issue is a high priority for his country.
“We come to this event to express Cuba’s positions, to defend the need to work and collaborate among all States to guarantee regular, orderly, and safe migration, based on the principles of international law, the United Nations Charter, and humanitarian law,” he stated.
He emphasized that the delegation will also express its rejection of the politically motivated handling of the issue by the United States government, which, he stressed, uses the immigration issue as a tool for foreign policy pressure.
“Once again, we will repudiate this position by Washington, historically used as part of its policy against the Cuban Revolution,” he stated. The Cuban delegation attending the event also includes Ambassador to Colombia Javier Caamaño; Lourdes Gil, deputy head of the Directorate of Identification, Immigration, and Foreigners; and Félix Hechavarría, official of the General Directorate of Consular Affairs and Assistance to Cubans Living Abroad.
The meeting, which will begin tomorrow and end on the 4th, will be themed “Regular Migration, Labor Mobility, and Human Rights: Pillars of Development and the Well-being of Societies. “According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, over the three days of the forum, states, governments, civil society, international organizations, business leaders, and young people will propose innovative and feasible solutions to ensure human mobility that respects and protects the rights of migrants.
(Taken from PL)
