United Nations, United Nations.- Venezuela reaffirmed this Monday its condemnation and rejection of the United States’ economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba for more than six decades, at the 79th Regular Session of the UN General Assembly.
Speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, in the debate on the “Elimination of Extraterritorial Unilateral Coercive Economic Measures as an Instrument of Political and Economic Coercion,” Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil described this policy as a failure.
In this regard, he reaffirmed his unwavering solidarity with the people and government of Cuba and urged the United States to “immediately and unconditionally end the blockade of this country and remove it from the list of states that sponsor terrorism.”
Gil affirmed that unilateral coercive measures, including those imposed as instruments of political, economic, and financial coercion, against any particular country, although not exclusively against developing countries, “are illegal and cruel.”
He emphasized that they represent a clear violation, among others, of the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, of the most basic norms of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
He also added that they represent a clear violation of the provisions of the Declaration on Principles of International Law relating to Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States.
The senior diplomat affirmed that as the multipolar world consolidates, unilateral coercive measures “have also become a means of unfair competition.”
He denounced the fact that reserve currencies are being used as weapons, and that the sovereign property of states “is being arbitrarily blocked, or even confiscated.” The Bolivarian Foreign Minister emphasized that these aggressive measures aim to strangle the Global South and undermine its dynamic economic development, with the goal of “eliminating a competitor and consolidating the view of the developing world as a mere seller of raw materials.”
He emphasized that they also represent a new form of colonialism that seeks to “hinder development, erode the foundations of multilateralism, and deepen the gaps between developed and developing countries.”
In the opinion of the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, it is essential to break with “those patterns of domination rooted in colonial history and mentality that still persist today.”
He emphasized that it is urgent to pave the way toward a more just and multipolar order that fosters comprehensive and sovereign development, without coercion or exclusion.