Soberon, who is Cuba’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, told Prensa Latina that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will once again stage on October 27-28 its annual review of the Cuban resolution demanding an end to this unilateral siege

Cuba arrives at the UNGA with the legitimacy of a just demand, maintained for decades and backed by broad international support, said the diplomat, who affirmed that they would defend “with irrefutable examples the extensive and painful damage that the US blockade inflicts upon the Cuban people.”

This year, the ambassador warned, the vote will take place in an especially grave context, marked by an unprecedented tightening of the collective punishment policy against Cuba, including an energy siege and secondary sanctions on third countries.

He noted that “an unprecedented offensive by the Department of State, the US Permanent Mission to the United Nations (USUN), and US embassies around the world is added to this situation, all attempting to alter the sovereign will of member states and weaken the traditional levels of support for our resolution.”

He emphasized that “in a year when the severe effects of the blockade are impossible to hide, the US government has engaged in intense diplomatic maneuvering, including direct pressure from the Secretary of State, threats of sanctions, and potential economic and political reprisals against countries around the world.”

Soberon warned that Washington aims to persuade countries that have historically opposed the blockade, which violates international law, to change their vote, abstain, or even absent themselves from the vote. “They are trying to force a change in long-standing positions at gunpoint,” he said.

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