Russia calls on the United States to immediately halt the economic blockade of Cuba and, to reaffirm this stance, Moscow will vote in favor of the United Nations draft resolution calling for lifting of the US blockade without preconditions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said during a UN General Assembly session on Wednesday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th November, 2019) Russia calls on the United States to immediately halt the economic blockade of Cuba and, to reaffirm this stance, Moscow will vote in favor of the United Nations draft resolution calling for lifting of the US blockade without preconditions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said during a UN General Assembly session on Wednesday."Russia has always stood in solidarity with the fraternal people of Cuba in surmounting the difficulties that have arisen as a consequence of Washington sanctions," Pankin said. "In a reaffirmation of our steadfast position, we will again vote in favor of the draft resolution calling for the immediate lifting of the blockade without preconditions."
On Thursday, UN member states will proceed with the vote on the draft resolution that Cuba summits every year, seeking to end the US-imposed economic blockade.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Monday accused the United States of exerting pressure on Latin American countries to oppose the draft resolution.
Pankin pointed out that the US blockade has already amounted to more than $922 billion in economic damage to Cuba while obstructing the Cuban citizens' right to a dignified life and embracing their own socio-economic development.
The United States first imposed an arms embargo on Cuba in 1958. The ban was complemented by the introduction of restrictions in various other sectors, including sanctions on financial transactions, trade and travel.
Pankin said the development of Cuba's tourism, energy, transportation, telecommunications, healthcare, education and food security has been severely derailed as a result of the US blockade.
"Essentially, Washington has embraced the policy of slowly seeking to introduce a genocide, targeting the Cuban people," Pankin noted.
Former US President Barack Obama relaxed US policy toward Cuba, introducing regulations to ease people-to-people contacts.
However, current President Donald Trump toughened the policy once he came to power in 2016, restricting travel, boosting the economic embargo and imposing sanctions on Raul Castro, Cuba's Communist Party leader, over alleged human rights violations and for supporting the Venezuelan leadership.
