Issued in a solemn session and signed by Mayor Eduardo Martinez, Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda, and Council Member Claudia Jimenez, the proclamation underscored that, for the last 64 years, the United States has imposed an economic, commercial, and financial blockade on Cuba.
The unilateral siege, which at current costs represents losses to the Cuban economy of approximately five billion dollars each year, prevents most of the relations and trade with the northern nation and punishes other countries that try to interact with the island, the document pointed out.
The text, approved on Tuesday evening, emphasized, “The consequences of this embargo (blockade) continue to inflict daily hardship and deprivation on the Cuban people, generating shortages of basic goods such as food and medicine, and severely restricting international financial and trade opportunities.”
The document added that it prevents Cuba from obtaining vital equipment and supplies and even hinders the humanitarian aid response to catastrophic events such as recent hurricanes.
With the legacy of the solidarity movement with Cuba in the city, several initiatives to end the blockade have been promoted and approved in recent years in city councils, state legislatures, and unions representing millions of people in the United States.
Diplomats David Ramirez and Yasser Ibarra, representatives of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, received the Proclamation during the City Council’s session.
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