Grenada has voted with the overwhelming majority of the United Nations General Assembly, to support a resolution that calls for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba.

184 countries voted to end the embargo on Wednesday. However, the United States and Israel voted for the embargo to remain in force while Brazil, Colombia and Ukraine abstained.

Delivering remarks on the issue, Grenada’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Keisha Mc Guire, said Grenada, like other CARICOM countries, the Group of 77 and China and the Non-Aligned Movement, strongly views the embargo, imposed since 1962, as “counterproductive in its application, and in contravention of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of states”. 

She pointed out that at a time when the world is faced with an unprecedented crisis, Cuba has demonstrated that it is a genuine vanguard of the people, building and maintaining close links through humanitarianism.

Ms. Mc Guire added that this notable humanitarianism displayed by Cuba during the onslaught of COVID-19, gave hope, and provided life-saving medical support to many. She said “Though limited in its possibilities, the herculean spirit of cooperation and camaraderie demonstrated by Cuba, is essential to the genuine peace and stability we all so desire.” 

This solidarity she said, “demonstrates on one hand, the truly international character of the indomitable Cuban spirit, and on the other hand, the need more than ever, for Cuba to be recognised for the potential and selfless, invaluable contributions of its people and re-admitted unhindered, to the economic, commercial and financial community of nations.”  Grenada also reiterated the position of the Caribbean Community in the Declaration of the Seventh Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of CARICOM and Cuba in December 2020, where Ministers rejected the imposition of unilateral coercive measures, and called for an immediate end to the blockade against Cuba.

Ambassador Mc Guire said resolution of this dispute will generate the momentum needed to resolve similar conflicts in other regions. She expressed the hope that with the support of multilateralism in the community of nations, there will be a “return to good-faith dialogue, and full normalisation of relations between the two governments in the spirit of true and sincere reconciliation.”

The United Nations General Assembly considers annually, a resolution on the US blockade against Cuba. The resolution has traditionally received the overwhelming support of the UN membership. According to an article published on UN News, “With overwhelming backing from the international community, the resolution has been approved ever since 1992 when the General Assembly began to vote annually on the issue, with the sole exception of 2020, due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”