The Ambassador met with on Wednesday February 8th, with the Director of the Cuban Institute for Friendship between Peoples (ICAP), Mr. Fernando Gonzalez, with the presence of the director of Africa and Middle East in ICAP, Mr. Jose Prieto Sentado.
The two sides discussed the developments of the Qatari-Cuban relations, where the Director of the Institute thanked the Ambassador for the support of the State of Qatar for Cuba in Resolution 71.5 of the United Nations, calling for end to Cuba embargo.
Mr. Gonzalez also highlighted the Institute's role in promoting solidarity among peoples, and said that the Institute has relations with more than 1979 associations in 154 countries. He added that the institute has established relations with Qatari Association of Friendship, with has the same objectives, and said that they wish to activate its activities, so as to be a channel between Qatar and Cuba in the field of cooperation to achieve these goals.
On his side, the ambassador clarified the background of the siege on the State of Qatar and referred to the piracy that affected the Qatari News Agency from one of the four countries of siege (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and the Arab Republic of Egypt), where the media began broadcasting in these countries news containing false information attributed to the Emir of the country, and then these countries boycott and impose an air, sea and land blockade on the State of Qatar. He said that these decisions were based on false allegations and lies, and that they even made threats to change the regime in Doha. He also said that the crisis is a clear violation of human rights, as it led to the separation of members of the Gulf families, intertwined among themselves, and deprived them from any kind of communication.
"In the event of a conflict, this could lead to a third world war, because the Gulf states have half of the world's oil and gas," he said.
The ambassador pointed to the 13 demands made by the four countries to Qatar, and that these countries accuse Qatar of harboring and supporting terrorism. He stressed that Qatar is very keen to combat terrorism in all its forms, and that a number of European and Arab countries can testify that. He said, for example, that shortly after the decisions on the dawn of June 5, the Pentagon praised "Qatar's permanent commitment to regional security."
The ambassador explained Kuwait's position and praised the role played by the emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in his mediation. He said that the four countries did not respond to that. However, he said that Qatar is keen to make it a success and continues its efforts in coordination with Kuwait, to sit for dialogue to find solutions to this crisis, explaining that the countries of the blockade occurred in a strategic error in trying to impose their will on Qatar.
The Ambassador also referred to the position of the United States of America, and said that President Trump initially expressed, through Twitter, his bias towards the embargo countries, in direct contradiction to the position of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Pentagon.
The Ambassador also compared the situation of the embargo of Qatar to the one that Cuba had suffered for many years. Cuba has a historical experience to follow, and it has a good reputation in all countries of the world, especially in the Arab world for its resistance and steadfastness, he said.
In this regard, Mr. González expressed his solidarity with the State of Qatar and said that it is unacceptable for any country to impose decisions on another country. He stressed that International relations must respect the sovereignty of States, condemn all means of using force, defend the right to self-determination and dialogue as the only way to resolve conflicts. He also said that a state cannot demand another state to sever its relations with any country, referring to the demand of the embargo countries to Qatar to cut off its relations with Iran, or to close any media, as was the demand of the four countries regarding Al Jazeera TV channel.
In conclusion, the parties agreed on some points, as follows:
1. To hold an event at the Institute organized by the Embassy, where the Ambassador will deliver a lecture, to be attended by a number of Cuban officials and dignitaries, and members of the diplomatic corps accredited in the Republic of Cuba, so as to introduce the Qatari reality and what show is going on in the country after the Gulf crisis.
2. ICAP will invite a Qatari delegation to visit Cuba, in order to learn about the work of the Institute and the situation in Cuba in general, and to coordinate visits to political, economic and social institutions.
3. The authorities in Qatar will invite the Director of the Institute to visit the State of Qatar, with the purpose of knowing the country closely and to hold meetings with Qatari officials, in order to strengthen bilateral relations and to bring the two peoples closer together.