An awesome majority of the UN’s 193 Member States as soon as once more urged Washington to raise the measures – regardless of a noticeable shift in international locations selecting to both abstain or aspect with the US.
The decision – titled Necessity of ending the financial, business and monetary embargo imposed by the USA of America towards Cuba – was adopted by 165 votes in favour, seven towards, and twelve abstentions.
Final yr, the measure handed by 187 votes with two towards (US and Israel) and only one abstention (Moldova).
These voting towards this yr’s decision had been the US, Israel, Argentina, Hungary, Paraguay, North Macedonia, and Ukraine.
The twelve abstentions got here from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica, Czechia, Ecuador, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Poland, Moldova and Romania.
Cuban help for Russian invasion attracts ire
Explaining its choice to abstain, Poland – additionally talking on behalf of Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania – mentioned it mirrored “the selective utility of the UN Constitution,” citing Cuba’s continued help for Russia amid its full-scale and persevering with invasion of Ukraine, the place Cuban nationals have reportedly been combating on Moscow’s aspect.
Romania echoed these issues, noting that whereas it had lengthy supported the decision, “overseas involvement in an unlawful battle of aggression is a blatant violation of the UN Constitution and worldwide legislation,” calling on Cuba to withdraw help for the invasion.
Whereas the decision stays non-binding, its passage as soon as once more indicators the worldwide neighborhood’s disapproval of unilateral coercive measures with extraterritorial results.
The decision
The textual content reiterates the Meeting’s long-standing enchantment for all States to reject punitive US laws such because the Helms-Burton Act of 1996, which Cuba and different international locations argue violates worldwide legislation and the UN Constitution.
The Meeting additionally highlighted measures adopted by US President Barack Obama in 2015 and 2016 to switch some elements of the embargo, “which distinction with the measures utilized since 2017 [under the first Donald Trump administration] to bolster its implementation.”
By way of the decision, the Common Meeting additionally determined as soon as once more to incorporate the embargo textual content within the provisional agenda of subsequent yr’s session.
