Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez: ‘Latin America and the Caribbean suffer the impact of U.S. sanctions’

The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez, thanked the member states of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) for their support for the Cuban resolution against the U.S. blockade, and extended his gratitude to the Bicentennial Congress of the Peoples for their solidarity with Cuba.

The Cuban diplomat highlighted the approval by absolute majority of the resolution last Wednesday at the United Nations General Assembly demanding the end of the blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba over 60 years ago.

The UN support was shown with 184 votes in favor out of 193 member nations to unanimously reject the U.S. commercial blockade against the Republic of Cuba. The resolution demands the U.S. empire to lift the economic sanctions against the Caribbean island.

The vote for lifting the blockade on Cuba has been held annually since 1992, with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this request, the U.S. government has not lifted the embargo.

The U.S. economic blockade has caused catastrophic damage to the Cuban population’s human rights, and it has violated international law for decades.

During Donald Trump’s administration, at least 242 unilateral coercive measures were imposed, and Joe Biden’s government has kept them intact. These measures have caused losses amounting to more than $9.1 billion.

Likewise, Foreign Minister Rodríguez thanked the opportunity given to Cuba to attend the 19th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples’ Trade Treaty, which was “inspired by Liberator Simón Bolívar and forged by Commander Chávez and under the leadership of President Nicolás Maduro.”

In his statement, Rodríguez referred to the failure of the actions taken by the United States against the Latin American and Caribbean people amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Latin America and the Caribbean suffer a serious impact. There is an economic war against Venezuela, and unilateral coercive measures against Nicaragua,” said the Cuban foreign minister.

The Cuban diplomat said the Republic of Cuba rejects these actions against the Latin American people. “We have the firm will to build a sovereign, independent, socialist, democratic, prosperous and sustainable nation. That’s what the U.S. empire wants to annihilate.”

“If the U.S. government had an iota of interest in human rights, in Cuba or in our region, it would put an end to the criminal economic blockade that has tried to cause hunger, malnutrition, diseases, misery and death to the Cuban people for over 60 years,” said Foreign Minister Rodríguez.

“Comrade President Nicolás Maduro, brothers and sisters, you can count on Cuba to be on the front line in this battle for life, peace and justice,” he said.