Latin
America has long lobbied the U.S. to lift its 55-year embargo against Cuba.
The changes will have a profound
impact on Cuba — where isolation has fundamentally shaped the island’s economy,
its politics and even its national identity.
[Ed. Note:
The U.N. General Assembly voted against the
embargo for the 22nd time in a row; while 188
countries voted to lift the embargo this time around, only two maintained that
it should continue, the U.S. and Israel.]
Venezuela,
Cuba’s strongest ally in the region, called the news a “moral” and “historic”
victory. President Nicolás Maduro, whose own country is at risk of U.S.
sanctions due to political repression, said the release of the three Cuban
detainees marks “a victory for Fidel and the Cuban people.”
Mexican
President Enrique Peña Nieto called Cuba a “brother country” that deserves
“equal status and equal rights with all other countries of the hemisphere.”
Peña Nieto said his government fully endorses normalized relations between the
United States and Cuba, and will continue to take actions to support the island
nation.
Peru also
pointed to its strong ties with Cuba, where many Peruvian students study
medicine. President Ollanta Humala appeared on Peruvian TV to applaud the
“important, historic and courageous step,” pointing out that Peru has long
supported greater integration of Cuba in the region.
Argentina’s
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner offered her “deep respect to the Cuban people
and their government,” which she commended for upholding their ideals while
moving forward with post-blockade relations.
Kirchner
called for ongoing diplomacy and constructive dialogue, along with the support
of the entire region. "Cooperation without grudges,” she said,
“recognizing the difficulty of the task and sincerely supporting it. Helping to
obtain a result without looking for anything in return."
Colombia
president Juan Manuel Santos said his government would do whatever is needed to
make the next Summit of the Americas — set to take place in Panama City in 2015
— a historic reunion. He stressed the thaw in tensions was “great news for the
region and the world.”
“On behalf
of all the Colombian people and I think the whole continent, we celebrate the
boldness and courage of President Obama and the Cuban government to make this
decision," Santos said. "It is a fundamental step for the
normalization of the two countries that will impact very well in the
hemisphere."
Panamanian
president Juan Carlos Varela was also looking toward the next Summit of the
Americas, to be held in April. “I welcome the new era in U.S.-Cuba relations,”
Varela tweeted. “At the Summit of the Americas we will fulfill the dream of a
united region.”
In Chile,
Minister of Foreign Relations Heraldo Muñoz called the Obama and Castro
speeches the beginning of the end of the cold war in the Americas. “The cold
war persisted in our region, in our American hemisphere,” Muñoz said, citing
the blockade and absence of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba. “So
this is a step to make that definitively the past.”
Nicaraguan
President Daniel Ortega, in a statement, called the joint-messages a “new era
in the history of our America and the Caribbean,” one of restitution for Cubans
of the rights “that had been usurped by North American authorities.” Ortega
said Cuba “keeps surprising the world with the deployment of all its
capabilities.”
Several of
the leaders highlighted the role of Pope Francis, who Maduro referred to as
“the Latin American pope,” in mediating between the two nations.
“Congratulations
to his Holiness Pope Francis on his birthday and for his valiant efforts in
search of American unity,” Panama’s Varela tweeted.
“Coming from
our lands,” said Ortega, “[Pope Francis] has managed to promote equitable
solutions to repair damage and historical mistakes.”
Posted from
Al Jazeera.
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