Cuban foreign policy and New Zealand relations

Edgardo Valdés López examines Cuba’s foreign policy challenges since the 1959 Revolution, highlighting its successes in health diplomacy, international forums and efforts to overcome the US blockade.

Since the 1959 Revolution, Cuba’s foreign policy has faced numerous challenges. Despite discrediting campaigns and isolation attempts on the part of the United States, it has been strategically engaging with the global community. Its foreign policy has aimed at eliminating its isolation and promoting the truth about Cuba globally through various means as it has sought to overcome the adverse impact of the US blockade. It has done so in international forums and through a successful health diplomacy effort. Cuba has demonstrated resilience and commitment to UN principles. Despite facing hurdles, it actively collaborates with countries like New Zealand in healthcare, education and climate change mitigation.

Edgardo Valdés López was Cuba’s ambassador to New Zealand from 1919 to 2023, bringing with him extensive experience as a specialist and director in the Strategic Planning and Analysis Department at the General Political Planning Department of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His diplomatic career includes roles as third secretary in the Cuban embassies in Peru (1985), Ecuador (1988) and Mexico (1989), as well as active participation in Cuban delegations to ministerial conferences of the Non-Aligned Movement in Zimbabwe (1986) and Cyprus (1989).

Cuba’s foreign policy has faced significant challenges following the Revolution in 1959 and the hostile policy of the United States. In April 1960, Lester Mallory, the US deputy assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs, wrote:

The majority of Cubans support Castro…. There is no effective political opposition…. The only foreseeable means of alienating internal support is through disenchantment and disaffection based on economic dissatisfaction and hardship. He recommended ‘a line of action which… makes the greatest inroads in denying money and supplies to Cuba, to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.’1 In essence, that has been, and is, the focus of the US policy towards Cuba, a country smaller than the South Island of New Zealand, located 144 kilometres from a powerful neighbour that declares what they call ‘regime change’ as its goal.

In the 1960s, the United States imposed an economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, which is still intensifying today and has an extra-territorial nature. They also broke diplomatic relations, suspended Cuba from the Organisation of American States and forced other countries in the region, except Mexico, to interrupt their ties with our island.

There was a deliberate attempt to make Cuba fail and isolate it in order to prevent the spread of what was considered a ‘bad example’. From that point on, disinformation and discredit campaigns were launched, along with various hostile acts, including the well-known military invasion of the Bay of Pigs.

Cuba’s foreign policy aimed to eliminate its isolation and promote the truth about Cuba globally through various means. This was achieved by building strong relationships with political parties, liberation movements and a vast network of solidarity organisations.

During his presidency, Barack Obama recognised that the US isolation policy against Cuba ended up isolating the United States. In the scenario after the disappearance of the Soviet Union and changes in many of Cuba’s main trading partners, the country’s foreign policy has prioritised mitigating the economic effects of the blockade. This involves not only denouncing the blockade but also supporting economic and commercial relations, diversifying trade partners and promoting tourism and investments.

Global solidarity

Cuba’s doctors, teachers and technicians have provided their services on all continents, and numerous young people from different parts of the world have been trained in Cuban schools and universities.

During the Angolan War (1975–2002) President Agostinho Neto requested Cuba’s assistance in preserving Angola’s independence and defeating apartheid. As a result, thousands of Cubans contributed to the cause. Cuba also became an active member of the Non-Aligned Movement and even presided over it. Also in this context, Cuba’s links with the Soviet Union, China and the so-called socialist bloc helped to break the country’s isolation and lessen the economic effects of the US blockade. At that time, they called Cuba a ‘satellite’ of the Soviet Union, but when the planet disappeared, the supposed satellite continued on its own way.

Today, Cuba’s success in breaking its isolation is evident, with 126 embassies abroad, in addition to 20 consulates and five other official representations. Moreover, there are 113 embassies, eight consulates and two other official representations in Havana.

The Organisation of American States has been replaced by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as the main regional organisation, and Cuba is a founding member, and it does not include the United States. Cuba also has an active mechanism for political dialogue with the European Union, which does not share the hostile approach of the United States.

UN advocacy

Since 1992, the United Nations General Assembly has annually approved a resolution titled ‘The necessity of ending the economic, commercial, and financial embargo of the United States of America against Cuba’. This resolution is opposed only by the United States and Israel. Last 2 November, 187 countries, including New Zealand, voted in favour of the resolution, only one abstained, and again the United States and Israel voted against it. New Zealand expresses opposition to this policy in its responses to the UN secretary-general.

In 2023, Cuba presided over the Group of 77 plus China, which includes 134 countries and is the primary instance for consultation in the United Nations.

Last September, 116 delegations and over 30 heads of state or government met in Havana, in the presence of UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres, for a summit dedicated to the role of science in promoting development and Agenda 2030. The final statement emphasised the negative impact of unilateral sanctions on the development of nations.

Despite being a small country threatened by a powerful neighbour, Cuba is an active defender of the United Nations Charter and its principles. Cuba advocates for a world based on United Nations rules rather than US rules, which are altered based on US interests, as seen in Washington’s position on the current conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Cuba also demands the reform of the United Nations to make it truly democratic and participatory, with a transparent and democratised Security Council and a rejuvenated General

Assembly.

Despite being small countries, both Cuba and New Zealand are active in international organisations. Our work as members of the UN Security Council and the exchanges in this regard are a perfect example of our co-operation.

Global shifts

Cuba has significant political capital on the international scene, but transferring this support to the economic, commercial and financial field is complex, due to the strong influence of the United States and its extra-territorial laws, far beyond its borders.

Canada, Great Britain and several countries of the European Union are among Cuba’s main trading partners, tourism providers and investors. Businessmen from these countries view not having to compete with large American companies as an advantage, alongside the stability, security, highly qualified workforce, natural beauty and other benefits that Cuba offers. The Cuban government has relaxed regulations and expanded business and investment opportunities, providing additional incentives for these countries.

Some of these countries have passed laws to prevent the application of US blockade regulations on their territory due to their high volumes of trade and investment with Cuba. However, Washington’s control over international banking mechanisms complicates Cuba’s interaction with them. In other countries, like New Zealand, the government does not intervene to prevent the application of US regulations, despite opposing the sanctions policy. In both cases, the blockade discourages trade, investments and tourism.

Recently, the US policy’s impact has intensified as Donald Trump, for electoral reasons, added Cuba to the list of state sponsors of terrorism a week before leaving the White House. President Joe Biden has not reversed this decision, and he has relied on the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 to state that ‘the continued exercise of those authorities with respect to Cuba for one year is in the national interest of the United States’.2

However, Cuba’s relations with Latin America are very favourable. Regional integration and co-operation create attractive possibilities. Additionally, China and Russia play a more significant role on the international stage as economic actors,

Multilateral exchanges

Cuba has expressed its willingness to establish a more normal and constructive relationship with the United States based on mutual respect and equal conditions, which would benefit both countries. We have repeatedly shown our willingness to discuss any issue, and every agreement we have reached has been strictly followed by us, even in cases where Washington has not. Cuba’s development plans and foreign policy are designed to overcome the blockade for as long as necessary.

Despite the challenging global scenario, we continue to promote peace, multilateralism, co-operation and respect for international rules among all actors. Cuba and New Zealand share similar positions on the main issues of the international agenda, and we have a good bilateral relationship with a history of co-operation in different areas.

In 2003, eight Cuban specialists advised a literacy programme in New Zealand that started in three communities with 525 participants: two Maori and one South Islander Pacific. Later the programme covered more than five thousand participants, using the Cuba method ‘Yes, I can’.

We are committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals and prioritise fighting climate change. We are working hard to promote co-operation in these areas from the presidency of the G77 plus China.

Specialists on agricultural issues from Cuba and New Zealand have exchanged valuable information on the ground despite the differences in climate and soil. New Zealand’s experiences and advice have been of great value to Cuba. However, trade and investment between the two countries are limited due to the extra-territorial effects of the US blockade.

countries with which Cuba has a stable strategic relationship. The questioning of unilateralism and dependence on the dollar, as well as the emergence of new mechanisms and groups, such as BRICS, the Union of Eurasian Nations, PetroCaribe, ALBA, among others, are also positive options for Cuba.

Health diplomacy

As of now, the success of Cuban vaccines against Covid-19 and the commendable work of Cuban doctors in European countries during the pandemic have generated greater knowledge and recognition of Cuba’s quality healthcare system and biotechnology industry. This has opened up new opportunities for Cuba’s medical and scientific co-operation, which was previously limited to only a few southern countries. Currently, Cuban doctors and nurses work in countries like Italy, Mexico, Vietnam and Qatar, to name a few countries with higher economic development than Cuba.

Cuba has provided medical assistance to the Pacific Islands, where Cuban doctors have saved lives in Kiribati, Vanuatu and Nauru. Until 2022, 220 professionals from that region graduated in Cuba, and 34 young people from the Pacific are currently studying medicine in Havana.

Cuba has a high number of doctors and nurses of recognised quality with years of experience working abroad, particularly in remote areas and with less-favoured population groups. The potential for joint work in the Pacific and the Caribbean is vast, and we can do a lot together on health issues, education, climate change mitigation and disaster management.

In the late 1990s, Cuban researchers’ work was useful for developing a vaccine to stop the spread of meningococcal B in New Zealand. The vaccine was used in the country between 2004 and 2011.

Cuba has been purchasing powdered milk from Fonterra for many years, and it exports coffee, rum and cigars to New Zealand. However, New Zealand nationals face limitations in interacting with Cuba, and local companies have difficulties making payments to their Cuban suppliers. For instance, New Zealand citizens cannot travel directly from the United States to Cuba or use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Their credit cards may also be cancelled if used in Cuba.

Moreover, the Cuban embassy faces serious restrictions in operating with banks, and Cuban residents also face difficulties in interacting with their families in Cuba. These limitations hinder the growth and deepening of the relationship and cooperation between Cuba and New Zealand.

Cuba views foreign policy as a matter of survival and bases it on principles that are never negotiated for concessions or benefits. Despite the complex scenario and economic constraints, Cuba prioritises constructive interaction with the world. We are convinced that this scenario is an opportunity for change, given the evidence that the current order has failed.

Notes

1. Memorandum from the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Mallory) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom), 6 Apr 1960, in Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960 vol VI. Cuba (history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus195860v06/d499).

2. The White House, ‘Memorandum on the Continuation of the Exercise of Certain Authorities Under the Trading With the Enemy Act’, number 2023-10 (www.whitehouse.gov/brief ing-room/presidential-actions/2023/09/13/memorandum-on-thecontinuation-of-the-exercise-of-certain-authorities-under-the-trading-with-the-enemy-act-3/).