Cuba backs Venezuela's decision to quit OAS

Cuba on Thursday expressed its support for Venezuela's decision to exit the Organization of American States (OAS), which Havana described as an "instrument of imperialist domination in the hemisphere."

"Cuba ratifies its firm commitment to accompany Venezuela and President Nicolas Maduro's dignified, courageous and constructive position" on renouncing the hemispheric organization, Cuba's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement published by state daily Granma.

"It is high time to recognize that the OAS is incompatible with the most pressing needs of Latin American and Caribbean countries. It is incapable of representing their values and interests," the ministry said.

Far from helping to promote integration or to peacefully resolve conflicts in the Americas, the Washington, D.C.-based hemispheric bloc "detests the equality and self-determination of countries" and "conspires and subverts governments genuinely and legitimately constituted with the backing of the people. It deserves the utmost repudiation," Cuba's government said.

Venezuela's decision follows repeated attempts by OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro to sanction its socialist government for allegedly violating democratic norms, and his open support for Venezuelan right-wing opposition groups.

Cuba has had its own troubled history with the OAS, despite being a founding member. Following the Cuban Revolution and arrival of Cuba's socialist government, Washington moved to have the Caribbean nation suspended.

Its suspension was lifted only recently, in 2009, and while Cuba thanked member countries for voting to reinstate it, it continues to spurn the bloc as an instrument of U.S. imperialism. Endit