The ambassador of Venezuela to the United Nations (UN), Samuel Moncada, spoke on Wednesday in rejection of the criminal blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba since 1960 and that has generated losses of more than 134 billion dollars for the island.
The pronouncement was made on behalf of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries (NAM). “Without a doubt we reaffirm that the prolongation of the blockade is totally unjustifiable and that this does not correspond to our historical time, goes against the continuous Cuban efforts to achieve sustainable development and the achievement of the objectives established in the 2030 Agenda for Development”, said Moncada during the 73rd period of sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, which is being held in New York, United States.
In his view, the direct and indirect damage caused by this blockade against Cuba is enormous, affecting all vital sectors of the economy. He also remarked that “although the regulations issued by the Department of Commerce and the Treasury have been steps in the right direction, they have a limited scope and only modify some aspects related to the blockade.”
For Moncada, the implementation of the blockade has not changed, which represents a setback in the normalization of relations between the United States. and Cuba. In this regard, said he believes that “it is time to organize to free the people of this weapon of international aggression that plagues humanity”. At present more than 190 nations maintain political and economic relations with Cuba while the US maintains only the illegal policies of these sanctions.
Finally, he made “a call to put an immediate end to the blockade imposed on Cuba. The blockade against Cuba threatens the social achievements that the Cuban people have driven”.
As will be recalled in November 2017, a group of 191 countries called on the UN to end the economic blockade that the United States has maintained against Cuba for more than 50 years. The draft annual resolution presented by Cuba before the agency had no abstention and only received two votes against, from the United States and Israel.
Since 1992, the international community strongly supports this project, which since 2005 has received 182 votes in favor, has never had the opposition of five countries and in the last four years won the support of 188 governments.
