The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, affirmed this Monday that she will make a personal financial donation to Cuba, following the call from former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to raise funds to support the Cuban people, and defended Mexican aid to the island as a gesture of solidarity. "Mexico was the only country that opposed the blockade on Cuba in the face of all pressures, the only one. Mexico is a fraternal people that always lends a hand to those who suffer," Sheinbaum said at her morning press conference. She emphasized that "it is our duty, without putting Mexico at risk, to continue supporting the Cuban people because that is the essence of who we are." "As an individual, I will see if we make a contribution, I will inform you, I will do it personally. Mexico has always been in solidarity with the Cuban people, always, a brotherly people. This is a matter of fraternity. I will see (how much), I will inform you tomorrow," she added. This Saturday, López Obrador reappeared on social media with a message in support of Cuba and called on helping the Cuban people by making a deposit into a bank account of a civil association that has been questioned by the opposition, and of which Sheinbaum said it "will be audited". During his government, López Obrador signed an agreement with Cuba to hire doctors from the island and bring them to the country, and in turn, fulfilled shipments of oil, both by contract and for humanitarian reasons. Also on Sunday, the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, thanked Mexico's "generous solidarity and accompaniment," in response to a message from the former head of state, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in which he expressed his support for the island's people. Regarding the warnings from international organizations about human rights violations in Cuba, Sheinbaum said it is an issue that "corresponds to the Cuban people," and insisted that she will continue to send humanitarian aid amid the U.S. oil blockade that has worsened the economic crisis the island is facing. Just this Friday, the president of Mexico celebrated the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States and reiterated that her government will continue to promote diplomatic dialogue and support the Cuban people amid renewed tensions between Washington and Havana.
