CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Introduction

Cuba has a long history of condemnation of and action against all terrorist acts, methods and practices. It has always advocated and continues to advocate the establishment of internationally acceptable standards for establishing a clear distinction between terrorism, which must be condemned and combated, and the legitimate right of peoples to fight, including through armed struggle, against aggression, occupation and foreign domination, colonialism or foreign hegemony, in order to achieve their liberation and self-determination.

The Cuban people have been victims of terrorism probably more than any other people. For over 40 years, they have been subjected to innumerable terrorist acts and attacks promoted from abroad. These actions have caused substantial loss of property and lives and incalculable suffering to Cuban citizens.

For over four decades, Cuba has been the victim of the most ruthless State terrorism aimed at destroying, through terror, destabilization and uncertainty, the political and social system that the Cuban people freely chose for themselves in the full exercise of their right to self-determination. In these attempts, the territory of a foreign State has been used, systematically and constantly, to finance terrorist acts against Cuba, organize such actions and train those who carry them out.

As noted in the complaints lodged by the Cuban people in respect of the human and economic damages caused by the terrorist acts and actions committed against Cuba for over 40 years, the Cuban people have suffered irreparable losses, given that 3,478 of its citizens were killed and 2,099 were wounded.

For all these reasons, the Cuban State and its people are firmly committed to confronting and combating international terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, based on their conviction that all acts of terrorism are reprehensible and must be combated.

Cuba holds the view that all terrorist acts and actions affect the lives, health, property and safety of innocent people. They infringe on the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of States, endanger the operation and stability of national institutions, cause serious damage to the productive infrastructure and economic activities of States and exacerbate international instability, creating new foci of tension and sometimes giving rise to international conflicts.

Consequently, Cuba advocates truly effective international cooperation that will make it possible to prevent and combat all acts of terrorism and eliminate its causes. It is essential to ensure that the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of terrorist acts and actions, as well as all those who support or finance it, are arrested, prosecuted and extradited.

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