In a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva indicates that it “has learned, with regret, of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the eastern region of Cuba yesterday, November 10. The episode occurred a few days after the passage of hurricanes Rafael and Oscar,” it says.

The release indicates that the successive natural disasters that have hit the Cuban archipelago in recent weeks have aggravated the critical economic framework and the energy crisis currently gripping the country.

“By reiterating its full solidarity with the Cuban government and people, Brazil renews its calls for the review and relaxation of unilateral sanctions that have been harming the country’s economic and social development for more than six decades,” the note states, in clear reference to the US blockade.

It reiterates that this blockade “directly affects the living conditions of its inhabitants and, in particular, of the most vulnerable sectors.”

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