Cuban Foreign Ministry Delivers Verbal Note of Protest to U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Mike Hammer

On Friday, May 30, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to once again call attention to the interventionist and unfriendly conduct he has displayed since arriving in Cuba—behavior unbefitting a diplomat and disrespectful toward the Cuban people.

Alejandro García del Toro, Director of Bilateral Affairs for the U.S. Division, presented the diplomat with a Verbal Note of Protest, firmly condemning his actions, which violate the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and contradict the Agreement on the Re-establishment of Diplomatic Relations signed by both governments.

As stated in the Verbal Note, García del Toro emphasized that by inciting Cuban citizens to commit serious criminal acts, undermine constitutional order, or act against authorities—while encouraging them to support the interests of a hostile foreign power—the diplomat has engaged in provocative and irresponsible behavior. He added that the diplomatic immunity the U.S. representative enjoys cannot be used as cover for actions that violate Cuba’s sovereignty and internal legal order.

The Ministry’s Verbal Note also rejected the Chargé d’Affaires’ public and insulting manipulation of National Hero José Martí, demonstrating his ignorance of the fact that independence and anti-imperialism, as pillars of the Cuban nation, are rooted in Martí’s warnings about the danger posed by U.S. domination ambitions.

During the meeting, the Director also provided the diplomat with excerpts from José Martí’s unfinished letter to his Mexican friend, Manuel Mercado.