Press Statement of Song Se Il, Director-General of African, Arab and Latin American Affairs

 

Department of DPRK Foreign Ministry

The Resolution “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba” was adopted with the approval of the overwhelming majority of the UN member states at the recent plenary meeting of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

This is another brilliant victory achieved by the Cuban people in the course of 60-odd-year-long struggle for territorial integrity, sovereignty and socialist construction.

187 countries which account for the absolute majority of the UN member states have voted in favor of this UNGA resolution. This is a manifestation of the sentiment of the international community, opposing strongly the unilateral economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the U.S. against Cuba and supporting the Cuban people in their sacred cause of justice.

Only the U.S. and Israel vetoed the resolution.

Since the first day of the victory of the Cuban revolution, the U.S. has been imposing an all-out economic embargo on the former, in flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international laws, for the sole reason that the Cuban people are adhering to the ideals of anti-imperialism, independence and socialism.

Resolutions calling for an end to the U.S. blockade against Cuba have been adopted at the UN General Assembly with support of a majority of the UN member states every year since 1992. However, the U.S. has persisted in voting against those resolutions and pursuing sanctions and pressure to stifle socialist Cuba.

The cruel and inhumane blockade by the U.S. caused indescribable misfortunes and pains for the Cuban people for as long as more than half a century, leading to the economic loss of an astronomical figure.

According to the recent announcement of the Cuba’s foreign ministry, the economic loss incurred by the harsh U.S. sanctions and blockade comes to 405 million USD every month.

This single fact is good enough to vividly show the inhumane and heinous nature of the U.S. which seriously violates and threatens the fundamental rights to existence and development of Cuban people.

This year alone, the current U.S. administration continued listing Cuba as “state sponsor of terrorism” and decided to extend the sanctions against Cuba by another year, wielding the exclusive "Trading With The Enemy Act".

The coercive measures of the U.S. against Cuba are an outrageous violation of the UN Charter and international laws that stipulate the principles of respect for sovereignty, equality and non-interference in internal affairs. They are an intolerable criminal act.

The U.S. should look clearly at the ever-raging public sentiment of the international community, lift without further delay the unilateral and extraterritorial embargo on the economy, trade and finance of Cuba and remove it from the list of “state sponsors of terrorism”.

We will as ever continue to express full support for and solidarity with the Party, government and people of Cuba in their righteous struggle to safeguard the national dignity and sovereignty and gains of revolution, develop the economy and improve the people’s livelihood. We always stand ready to be with the Cuban people in the course of common struggle for anti-imperialism, independence and socialism. Pyongyang, November 13, Juche 112(2023)