New York: India has voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba, reiterating that the restrictions should be lifted to help the Caribbean nation pursue its development goals.
The resolution, titled Necessity of Ending the Economic, Commercial and Financial Embargo Imposed by the United States of America Against Cuba, was adopted on Wednesday by the 193-member General Assembly. A total of 130 countries voted in favour, 17 opposed it and 25 abstained.
Delivering India’s statement, Soumya Nair, Counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, said the General Assembly had repeatedly called for the embargo to be ended. She also highlighted the body’s opposition to laws and regulations with extraterritorial effects that affect the sovereignty of other countries and the welfare of their people.
India reiterated its call for states to refrain from introducing or enforcing such measures, and to repeal or invalidate them in accordance with their obligations under the UN Charter and international law.
Nair said India’s commitment to multilateralism was based on the belief that international challenges should be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy.
“India hopes that the embargo will be lifted at the earliest,” she said, adding that this would help create conditions for the Cuban people to participate more fully in international cooperation and pursue their development aspirations.
India Highlights Impact of US Restrictions on Cuba
Citing a report by the UN Secretary-General, Nair drew attention to the impact of the restrictions on Cuba’s economy and essential services.
She said Cuba’s health system faced shortages of more than 60 per cent of essential medicines, while food production had declined by over 50 per cent in the previous five years.
Nair also pointed to restrictions on fuel exports, saying they had worsened Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis. The resulting shortages had disrupted essential services, including healthcare, education, water supplies, food distribution and transportation.
The United States has maintained an embargo against Cuba for more than six decades, reflecting a longstanding political and ideological dispute between the two countries. The conflict dates back to the Cuban Revolution of 1959, when Fidel Castro overthrew the US-backed government and subsequently aligned Cuba with the Soviet Union.
Washington has defended its sanctions as a means of applying pressure on Cuba’s communist government, while Havana has repeatedly blamed the restrictions for contributing to its economic difficulties and shortages.
Although the latest resolution reflects the General Assembly’s longstanding opposition to the embargo, resolutions of this nature are not legally binding.
US and Cuban Officials Clash at UN General Assembly
The vote followed a heated confrontation between US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla during a General Assembly session on Tuesday.
According to the account provided, Parrilla and other Cuban diplomats left their assigned seats and approached the podium while Waltz was speaking about Cuba, triggering a verbal exchange between the two sides.
Waltz stepped away from the lectern and called on the Cuban foreign minister to move back. The confrontation prompted UN General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman to suspend the session.
After the incident, Waltz accused Cuba’s leadership of hypocrisy, alleging that its officials enjoyed luxury goods and properties while ordinary Cubans faced hardship.
He also alleged that Cuban diplomats had stormed the podium and assaulted an American diplomat, and said the conduct violated the Host Country Agreement. Waltz warned that the incident would have consequences.
The exchange added to tensions surrounding the debate over Cuba and the decades-old US embargo, even as a large majority of countries backed the resolution calling for the restrictions to be lifted.
