Cuba on Thursday vehemently condemned the new sanctions imposed by the United States against the Cuban state-owned oil company Union Cuba-Petroleo (CUPET).
The condemnation came after the United States announced the new round of punitive measures in a statement released on the website of the U.S. State of Department on Thursday.
In the statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted that the key assets of CUPET were "unlawfully expropriated from American owners years ago".
In his post on social media, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, called the U.S. move a new round of attack on the Cuban people and a further tightening of its energy blockade against Cuba.
The sanctions will have a "cruel impact" on the vital services and the daily lives of all Cubans, he said.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla and Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio also denounced the U.S. sanctions in their respective posts on social media.
De Cossio said the U.S. move is a "collective punishment on Cuba".
"They feel the need to lie, as the Secretary of State does, to come up with absurd excuses that justify denying an entire nation access to fuel," he wrote on X.
Cuba condemns U.S. new sanctions on state oil company
The International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations was celebrated by United Nations organizations in New York, Paris, Vienna and various other global cities, as Wednesday marks the second edition of the event.
The Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations organized a thematic event on Wednesday at the UN headquarters in New York, with nearly 300 high representatives and UN officials participating.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, in their written statements, highlighted the importance of promoting dialogue among civilizations.
According to Guterres, "Dialogue has the power to reunite us for a more just and more peaceful world."
The event was co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions to the United Nations of Armenia, Colombia, Ethiopia, Greece, Indonesia, Iraq and Mexico, as well as the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
At the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the Permanent Delegation of China to UNESCO and the UNESCO "Silk Road" project jointly hosted a similar event.
The event gathered more than 400 people, including representatives from multiple countries to UNESCO, officials from international organizations, experts and scholars, and people from all walks of life.
A similar event was held at the United Nations in Vienna, attracting more than 300 guests, including heads of international organizations, representatives of various countries and institutions.
Catherine Perret, representative of the United Nations Office in Vienna, commended China's leading role in constructing dialogue among world civilizations in her speech.
She also called on all countries to further promote mutual understanding and friendship among peoples, as well as harmonious coexistence among different civilizations, and devote their wisdom and efforts to safeguarding the authority of the United Nations and reforming and improving global governance.
A Chinese painting exhibition kicked off the same day, depicting the national flowers of the UN member states. Cultural workshops on traditional Chinese paper-cutting, ink painting and Western oil painting were also staged.
The Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands also held a thematic event at the Peace Palace, the seat of the International Court of Justice.
More than 200 people attended, including the Deputy Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, representatives of international organizations, Dutch government officials and ambassadors from various countries.
"The Chinese vision, that world outlook, a world view, is very important. In that way, it actually promotes people's interaction and acceptance. We need to more than just tolerate each other, we need to accept one another and to embrace our differences," said Vusi Madonsela, South African ambassador to the Netherlands.
A ceremony marking the event was also held in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, bringing together over 200 senior government officials, diplomats and scholars.
"I think it's a great event, exceptionally great, especially at a time (when) what is happening around the world. Like the Secretary-General said, we have to listen, we have to talk, we have to engage, we have to build bridges," said Zainab Hawa Bangura, Under-Secretary General and the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi.
Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in June 2024 designated June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations.
Int'l Day for Dialogue among Civilizations marked at UN organizations
