U.S. denies Cuba health minister visa to attend health meeting in Washington

Cuba said on Monday the Trump administration denied its health minister a visa to attend a Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) meeting in Washington and accused the United States of repeatedly violating its obligations as the host of an international organization.

The Cuban Embassy in Washington wrote an email on Monday to those who had been invited to attend an event with Health Minister Jose Angel Portal Miranda while he was in the U.S. capital for the PAHO meeting this week, saying it was canceled because he and his delegation had not been given visas.

PAHO is the World Health Organization’s regional office for the Americas.

“The government of the United States is yet again arbitrarily and unwarrantedly in breach of its obligations as a host country of an international organization,” read the email seen by Reuters.

Earlier this month, Washington ordered the expulsion from the United States of two members of Cuba’s delegation to the United Nations for trying to “conduct influence operations” harmful to U.S. national security.