Celac calls to end the economic blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) This Friday, they unanimously approved a joint declaration in which they called for the end of the economic and commercial blockade, which has been imposed for more than six decades. USA against Cubahitting its population above all.

On the occasion of the VIII Celac Summit held this Friday in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the 33 member states demanded “the need to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba.”

The leaders present, including the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, supported a special statement in which they expressed their “concern about the harmful effects of this blockade on the Cuban population and on Cuban nationals residing in other countries.”

This embargo imposed in 1962 prevents Cuba from making transactions in dollars, marketing products that cross the United States and that have a minimum percentage of 10% of parts manufactured in that country, as well as using the North American financial system.

The joint declaration of Celac set out in six points the position of the member countries, which “urge the Government of the United States to end the blockade against Cuba, reiterate that this blockade is contrary to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. and International Law, in addition, its “deeper concern about the intensification of this policy, and its rejection of the extraterritorial dimension of the blockade.”

They also requested compliance with the successive resolutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, “that reiterate the call of the international community to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, which causes substantial and unjustifiable damage to the Cuban peopleNo”.

They highlighted, for example, the “overwhelming support” given in the most recent resolution adopted at the UN last November calling for the end of the embargo, which was opposed by only two countries: the United States and Israel.

This call, which has been made annually for 31 years, received on this occasion 187 votes in favor, two against and only one abstention, that of Ukraine, a result even more overwhelming than last year, when there were three abstentions and the same negative votes.

The accumulated damages since 1962, when the embargo came into force, exceed US$159,000 million, according to the Cuban Government, which points it out as one of the “impediments” to the development of the country.