Havana (AFP)

Faced with the tightening of the American embargo on Cuba, the socialist government claims to "resist" but "without giving up" the economic reforms underway in the island, said in an interview with AFP the Minister of Economy Alejandro Gil.

"2019 was a difficult year, full of tensions. Not unusual (one year), because we have been living with this embargo for sixty years, but this year marks a hardening and forced us to overcome" this situation, declares Alejandro Gil.

The American economic and financial embargo has weighed on Cuba since 1959 but since his arrival at the White House in January 2017, Donald Trump has intensified sanctions against the island with measures that affect tourism, investments, remittances and fuel imports.

"Not only are we resisting, but we are not giving up on development. We are in the right conditions to continue updating (the reforms) our economic model," said the 55-year-old economist, appointed in 2019.

"The reinforcement of the blocking can have an impact on the rhythm of certain things, which are done more calmly. If the United States intends, with its policy of aggression, that we accelerate the changes, they will have the opposite effect", he warns.

"I can guarantee you that there is no conservative position in the historic sector of the revolution preventing us from moving forward," said the minister, referring to the older leaders, so former president Raul Castro. , 88, who still heads the Cuban Communist Party (CCP), the only political party authorized on the island.

It is the updating of the Cuban economic model initiated in 2008 by the president of the time, Raul Castro, which allowed individuals to launch their private activity: they now represent 13% of the work force.

The government admits to having advanced on 20% of these reforms.

"General Raul Castro said that we must move slowly but surely. We are not running a race. We are a socialist country and its main principle is not to affect the population" of 11 million inhabitants, he said.

"There are very simple measures to put in place but which would exclude 40% of the population and that we are not going to do, just as we are not going to apply a neoliberal measure".

Despite the adverse panorama, the "Cepalc" (UN Economic Commission for the region) estimates that growth will be 0.5% and our forecasts revolve around that. "For 2020, he hopes to achieve growth of" about 1% of GDP. "

© 2019 AFP