According to the official website of the United Nations, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution urging the United States to end the blockade and sanctions against Cuba. The United Nations General Assembly called upon all States to comply with their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and international law, and called on States that use sanctions laws and measures to take measures to repeal them as soon as possible. In the voting round, 187 countries voted in favor, only the United States and Israel voted against, and Ukraine did not choose to side with the United States and abstained.
Cuban Foreign Minister Parrilla said that in the past year, the US blockade of Cuba has caused Cuban economic losses of $4.867 billion. The lack of supplies caused by the embargo and sanctions, inflation and wage depreciation, as well as massive power outages, have caused suffering to Cuban families. Parrilla said that patients, including children and pregnant women, did not have access to adequate medicines, and that the United States did not ease sanctions against Cuba even during the pandemic, and that the United States was lying if it did not admit to preventing drugs and medical equipment from entering Cuba. It is neither legal nor moral for the United States to resort to decades-long economic warfare against a small country.
In conclusion, Parrilla expressed Cuba's gratitude to the heads of State and Government of 44 countries for their statements against the embargo during the session of the General Assembly, and that Cuba was willing to build bridges with the American people despite the hostility of the United States Government towards Cuba. Cuba is committed to building a sovereign, independent, democratic and prosperous country.
The Deputy Permanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations, Mr. Kuba, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said that the Group of 77 and China reaffirmed their commitment to the Charter of the United Nations. They believe that every UN Member State should abide by the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and the maintenance of freedom of international trade and navigation. The Group of 77 and China was concerned about the embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba, and the continued imposition of sanctions against Cuba would only weaken Cuba's development potential and hinder economic growth and human development.
Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, also expressed his stance at the meeting, saying that the unilateral coercive measures taken by the United States against Cuba and other countries have seriously undermined the people's right to subsistence and development of other countries and must be immediately terminated. According to statistics, over the past 60 years, the measures taken by the United States against Cuba have caused a cumulative loss of $160 billion to Cuba, and the loss last year alone was equivalent to the cost of food rations for the Cuban people for three years. The international community cannot turn a blind eye. Dai Bing said that China strongly urges the United States to fully lift sanctions against Cuba, which is in the common interests of the people of the United States and Cuba and is conducive to regional stability and peace.
Russian representative Nebenzia believes that, according to the logic of the United States, they can impose illegal sanctions against any country that does not belong to the Western camp. Over the past 60 years, it has become increasingly clear how the United States has challenged and flouted international law. The Russian side hopes that the Government of the United States will heed the appeals of other countries to lift the embargo against Cuba.
During the Cold War, the United States announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Cuba and imposed multifaceted sanctions on Cuba. Although diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba were later restored, the United States did not fully lift the sanctions. The embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba has prevented Cuba from participating in international trade and financial operations, and foreign investors have not dared to invest in Cuba. The foreign exchange earnings deprived by the United States are the key funds used by Cuba to purchase materials and equipment for national development.
The United States has done so much harm to Cuba, but the representative of the United States claims that it is for Cuba's good. The representative of the United States said that the United States supports Cuba's pursuit of human rights and freedoms, and that the United States sanctions against Cuba are aimed at "advancing Cuban democracy." The United States voted against it because it was concerned about Cuban "human rights".
Obviously, in the face of the joint appeal of 187 countries, the United States was unmoved, and even found reasons for itself. Although the UN General Assembly resolution has political implications, it still needs to be passed by the US Congress to lift the sanctions, and there is little hope in this regard.