Cuba: The Cuban government has criticized the presence of a nuclear-powered submarine situated at the United States naval base in Guantanamo Bay, referring to it as a “provocative escalation.”
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the submarine arrived at Guantanamo Bay on Wednesday and remained there until Saturday.
“The presence of the submarine makes it imperative to wonder what is the military reason behind this action in this peaceful region of the world, what target it is aiming at, and what is the strategic purpose it pursues”, the statement remarked.
The ministry warned of the “danger” posed by “the presence and circulation of nuclear submarines” in the Caribbean region. It also described the US military presence in the region as a “threat to the sovereignty and interests of Latin American and Caribbean peoples.”
Cuba’s condemnation comes as the island nation has again found itself at the centre of escalating tensions between global superpowers.
About 117 square kilometres (45 square miles) of land along the bay have been occupied by US forces since the Spanish-American War in 1898.
A naval base was later established there in 1903, and a military prison opened in 2002 to house “enemy combatants” during the two-decade-long US “war on terror”.
In Tuesday’s remarks, the foreign ministry noted that the US presence in Guantanamo serves only to “outrage Cuba’s sovereign rights”.
When asked about the statement, US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller commented that “we do not, at least from this podium, discuss the movement of US military assets.”
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