UN General Assembly votes in favor of the end of the US embargo on Cuba

The UN General Assembly voted this Thursday overwhelmingly against the economic and commercial embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba, for the first time in 1960. A total of 187 states voted in favor of the resolution that is presented every year against this economic measure, including the European Union bloc and Mexico. Only the United States and Israel voted against and Ukraine abstained.

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In previous positions, Mexican ambassador Alicia Buenrostro warned that there should be no unilateral sanctions of any kind against nations in the world, outside of those adopted by the UN Security Council.

"We call on the United States Government to end the embargo on Cuba without further delay and to prioritize dialogue. We will continue working with Cuba to overcome shared challenges through cooperation, dialogue and regional integration," said the diplomat.

Meanwhile, when explaining his vote, the representative of the United States, Paul Folmsbee, assured that his country "stands resolutely" with the Cuban people.

"We strongly support your pursuit of a future with respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms," he said, noting that the sanctions are "a set of tools" in the broader US effort to encourage Cuba to promote democracy. and promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

He clarified that the United States recognizes the challenges faced by the Cuban people, explaining that the sanctions include exemptions and authorizations related to exports of food, medicine and other humanitarian goods to Cuba.

"The United States opposes this resolution," he said, encouraging the General Assembly to urge the Cuban government to adhere to its human rights obligations "and listen to the Cuban people and their aspirations to determine their own future."

The voted resolution recalls that the measures adopted by the then president of the United States, Barack Obama, in 2015 and 2016 "to modify various aspects of the application of the embargo, contrast with the measures applied since 2017 to strengthen its application." Since 1992, Cuba has annually presented a resolution to the UN General Assembly to request the end of the embargo unilaterally imposed, in the middle of the Cold War, by President John F. Kennedy to suffocate the communist regime on the island.

dmr