(unofficial translation)
Gobierno de Reconciliación y Unidad Nacional
Unida Nicaragua Triunfa
MESSAGE FROM NICARAGUA
ON THE NECESSITY OF ENDING THE ECONOMIC, COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL EMBARGO
IMPOSED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AGAINST CUBA
General Assembly, United Nations
November 2nd 2023
Mr. President,
1. We associate ourselves with the statements made by the representatives of Uganda on behalf of the G77+China, Azerbaijan on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on behalf of the Community of Latin American States (CELAC), El Salvador on behalf of the Central American Integration System (SICA) and Eritrea on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter.
2. We recognize and appreciate the presence of our Brother Foreign Minister of Cuba, Comrade Bruno Rodríguez.
3. The imperial powers continue to maintain and intensify their unilateral, illegal, coercive and arbitrary policy against sovereign Peoples and Governments, superimposing their hegemonic interests above the priorities of the Human Community, fomenting wars, blockades, sanctions and defamatory campaigns, contrary to International Law, the Charter of the United Nations and the most elementary principles that should guide relations of mutual respect, solidarity, dialogue and cooperation among States.
4. The Peoples of the World have the right to exercise our National Sovereignty, Independence, advancing in the construction and development of our own Model of Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Development, free of foreign interference or interventions, threats or aggression.
5. Faced with these perverse practices, our developing peoples are moving towards Multipolarity, confronting destructive imperialism and neocolonialism, which has always tried to subjugate the Planet and Humanity.
6. And this is how humanity is creating the conditions to break with imperial hegemony and in the same spirit, with its own voice, with shared identity, dignity and values, the International Community must move towards greater integration, rejecting and denouncing the vestiges of colonialism.
7. We are talking about the criminal economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed for more than sixty years on the Sister Republic of Cuba and its unjustified inclusion in the list of State sponsors of terrorism, from which it should be excluded.
8. United States hegemonism has imposed an illegal blockade on the Heroic People of Cuba, this Sister Heroic Revolution has resisted for more than 6 decades and continues to resist this corrosive blockade that attacks its State Institutions, limits its access to financing for development, undermines its economy and affects the full enjoyment of and participation in all the fundamental rights of an entire population.
9. Nicaragua, like all developing countries along with the international community as a whole, rejects these illegal Unilateral Coercive Measures, this suffocating, perverse and harmful blockade.
10. Nicaragua condemns all the hostile policies of the United States towards Cuba, the persecution of the country's financial and commercial transactions, the impossibility of processing non-immigrant visas in Havana, the intimidation of companies that send fuel supplies to the island, the attempts to thwart the recovery of the tourism sector after the COVID-19 pandemic and the campaign discrediting Cuban medical cooperation programs, just to mention a few.
11. Cuba has demonstrated that, between March 1st 2022 and February 28th 2023, the blockade caused damages to Cuba, estimated at 4 billion 867 million dollars. This represents an impact of more than 405 million dollars per month, more than 13 million dollars per day, and more than 555 thousand dollars for each hour of blocking. The accumulated damages during more than 6 decades of the imposition of this anachronistic policy have amounted to 159 thousand 84.3 million dollars.
12. Even so, under the worst circumstances and the most criminal pressures, Cuba was able to overcome the severe Covid-19 pandemic with its own efforts and talent.
13. It is admirable that Cuba, thanks to its conscience, its revolutionary spirit of struggle, its conviction and socialist commitment to the world and its unparalleled example of international solidarity, supported measures addressing the pandemic in 42 countries and territories, since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in May 2020 and until September 2022.
14. 58 specialized “Henry Reeve” Cuban medical brigades arrived in those nations, and their members joined more than 28 thousand Cuban health professionals who were already working in 66 nations, as part of the medical cooperation brigades sent by this fraternal country.
15. Cuba manages to remain steadfast and in the course of that resistance they are establishing initiatives so that with their own Resources and with the Solidarity of Fraternal Peoples the Battle can continue to be won, because the Battle of Cuba is our Battle, and the Victory of Cuba is our Victory.
16. We congratulate our Cuban sisters and brothers for an excellent presidency of the G77+China Group. We are the 134 countries that make up this Group of Southern Countries, which is equivalent to more than two thirds of the UN Member States and where 80 percent of the world's population lives.
17. And precisely, the recent Summit of the G77+China Group in Havana shows that the imperialists, the colonialists of the Earth, have not been able to kill the Fighting Spirit, the Dignity of the Peoples of the World.
Mr. President,
18. The universal consensus of the peoples and governments of the world has demanded the end of this inhuman, illegal and criminal blockade, which demonstrates a cruel and genocidal character, violating the Human Rights of an entire People and undermining the efforts of the brave Cuban people in the implementation of their National Economic and Social Development Plan until 2030, as well as the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
19. The Government of the United States, by failing to comply with the 30 General Assembly resolutions, demonstrates its disrespect for international law, the charter of the United Nations and the political will of the universal consensus of the international community, which demands an end to this anachronistic policy against Cuba.
20. The clear objective of the Empire has been to overthrow Cuba, to destroy its Socialist Model that is infinitely Just, in Solidarity, with its People and with the Peoples of the World.
21. The United States should initiate a respectful dialogue to resolve the pending bilateral issues with Cuba, on the basis of equality of States, reciprocity, respect for the sovereignty and independence of Cuba.
Mr. President,
22. We are fully convinced that International Solidarity with Cuba will remain in force, that the General Assembly will once again condemn this criminal blockade, as well as all the extraterritorial measures and ramifications continuing to intensify against the Beloved Cuban People.
23. Nicaragua hopes that, once and for all, the double standards in this General Assembly will end, that the numerous United Nations resolutions on this issue will be respected and complied with, and that this Inhuman Blockade against Cuba will end.
24. Nicaragua, as every year, will vote in favor of draft resolution A/78/L.5, and this General Assembly, by universally approving this resolution presented by Cuba, will be defending Multilateralism, the Charter of the United Nations, seeking the long-awaited Understanding, Peaceful Coexistence among Nations, and promoting that Culture of Peace that we all speak of and desire.
Thank You Very Much