Russian senators call on parliamentary organizations to condemn blockade of Cuba

The Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) has approved a statement on solidarity with the Cuban people and on the prospects of development of bilateral relations, in which it called on international parliamentary organizations and other countries’ parliaments to condemn the ongoing economic blockade of the republic.

"The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation calls on the parliaments of foreign states, the United Nations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Latin American Parliament, the Central American Parliament, the Mercosur Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Parliament to express their support for the Cuban people by condemning the economic, trade and financial blockade of the Republic of Cuba," the statement reads.

The Federation Council strongly condemns the destructive actions of the US against Cuba that have lasted for sixty years and represent "an act of economic aggression against the Cuban people." "Only in the last year, the damage from the embargo introduced by the US against the Republic of Cuba reached over 4 billion US dollars, while the total damage in all the years has reached nearly 1 trillion US dollars," the senators stated.

The Russian lawmakers are confident that unilateral sanctions bypassing the UN Security Council only aim to make the governments of sovereign states act in the interest of those introducing economic sanctions. "However, the example of unyielding Cuba inspires other states who fell victim to US economic aggression to resist and continue an independent political course. The neocolonial policy of economic coercion is unlawful and categorically unacceptable in the conditions of an emerging multipolar world. It is necessary to apply every effort to eradicate this anti-democratic practice violating human rights and freedoms from modern international relations," the statement stresses.

The senators recalled that in 2019, Russia and Cuba celebrate the 60th anniversary since the USSR recognized the revolutionary government of Cuba, and in 2020, both states will mark the 60th anniversary of restoration of diplomatic relations, "which is another occasion for strengthening the partnership between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Cuba, namely between their parliaments."

The statement also noted that the official visit of the Federation Council degelation headed by Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko to Cuba, which took place on November 14-17, 2019, had demonstrated the high potential of interparliamentary ties between the states, helping to outline the guidelines for furthering these ties in the interest of expanding and intensifying bilateral cooperation on the whole.

In early November 2019, for the 28th time, the UN General Assembly approved the resolution demanding that the US stops the trade-economic blockade of Cuba. The US blockade of Cuba has lasted for nearly 60 years so far. The UN resolution was supported by 187 states. Traditionally, the US and Israel voted against the resolution. This year, they were joined by Brazil. Ukraine and Colombia abstained, while Moldova did not take part in the vote.