Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez announced at a press conference that due to the United States’ long-term economic, financial blockade and trade embargo against Cuba, Cuba’s economy from April 2019 to March 2020 The loss was approximately US$5.57 billion, and the cumulative loss in the past 60 years has exceeded US$1 trillion.
Rodriguez pointed out that the U.S. government continued to increase sanctions against Cuba during the new crown epidemic, prohibiting the country from providing medical equipment and supplies to Cuba, and prohibiting third countries from exporting to Cuba using more than 10% of U.S. parts and technologies. The use of “long-arm jurisdiction” hinders Cuba’s access to medical supplies from the international community, making it difficult for Cuba to fight the epidemic.
The Cuban side stated that since 2019, the United States has continuously upgraded its hostile policy towards Cuba and fabricated lies for slander.
By implementing Article 3 of the Helms-Burton Act, preventing Cuba from sending medical personnel to other countries and preventing other countries from exporting oil to Cuba, the United States has arbitrarily interfered with Cuba’s normal diplomatic and economic and trade exchanges.
In addition, the United States continues to create new obstacles to domestic and foreign companies’ trade and investment activities in Cuba, increases the number of Cuba’s entity sanctions lists, unilaterally reduces or suspends flights between Cuba and the United States, and further restricts its citizens’ travel to Cuba and reduces their residence.
The amount of money that Cubans in the United States can send to their Cuban family.
Rodríguez stated that the U.S. embargo against Cuba has severely hindered the development of the Cuban nation, is a “serious, flagrant, and systematic violation” of the human rights of the Cuban people, and has had a devastating impact on the process of updating Cuba’s economic and social model. It became a major obstacle to the development of bilateral relations between Cuba and the United States. This not only harmed the Cuban people, but also harmed the self-interest of the American people and businesses. The United States’ wanton use of “extraterritorial effects” on other countries has violated the sovereignty of other countries, affected the interests of other countries, violated international law, and seriously damaged multilateralism.
Since 1992, the UN General Assembly has passed by an overwhelming majority for 28 consecutive years the resolution “must end the US economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba”. Affected by the global epidemic situation, the 29th vote of the UN General Assembly on the resolution will be postponed to May 2021.
