Cuba rejects presence of U.S. nuclear submarine in Guantanamo

HAVANA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Cuba strongly rejects the stay of a nuclear-powered submarine at the U.S. military base in the Guantanamo Bay on July 5-8, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) said in a statement Tuesday.

This is a "provocative escalation of the United States, whose political or strategic motives are not known," MINREX said, adding the U.S. military base, as is known, has occupied a territory of 117 square kilometers for 121 years against the will of the Cuban people.

"The presence of a nuclear submarine there at this moment makes it imperative to wonder what is the military reason behind this action in this peaceful region of the world; what target is it aiming at and what is the strategic purpose it pursues," said the statement.

While reiterating the rejection of the U.S. military presence in Cuba and demanding the return of the illegally occupied territory in the province of Guantanamo, MINREX warned about the danger of the presence and circulation of nuclear submarines of the U.S. armed forces in the nearby Caribbean region.

Cuba is among 33 nations which signed the Declaration of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace in Havana in January 2014.