Trump administration on Tuesday announced major new restrictions on US citizens travelling to Cuba, banning the most common way Americans travel to the island.
The move came in as a bid to pressurise Cuba over its support to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The statement by the US State Department said that the new rules halts authorisation for the most popular way the Americans travel to Cuba, i.e, through organised tour groups, also known as ‘people to people educational travel.’
The statement also states that the reason behind the restriction is that the US “holds the Cuban regime accountable for its repression of the Cuban people, its interference in Venezuela, and its direct role in the man-made crisis led by Nicolas Maduro.”
“Despite widespread international condemnation, Maduro continues to undermine his country’s institutions and subvert the Venezuelan people’s right to self-determination. Empowered by Cuba, he has created a humanitarian disaster that destabilizes the region,” the statement read.
The new regulations will reportedly come into effect on Wednesday. The restrictions, however, will not be valid for citizens who already have their tickets booked.
Calling this an ‘attack on international laws’, the uban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla tweeted, ” The tightening of the US blockade against Cuba and its extraterritorial implementation is and the sovereignty of all States. It is the main obstacle to our development and a flagrant violation of the human rights of all Cubans.”
(With Inputs from ANI)