India votes against US embargo on Cuba at UN, urges end to unilateral sanctions

New York: India has reiterated its opposition to legislation that "adversely affects the sovereignty" of other states while backing a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the long-running US economic embargo against Cuba.

Addressing the Assembly ahead of the ballot, Soumya Nair, a counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, stated that New Delhi supports the global body's call urging member states to reject “laws and regulations with extraterritorial effects that adversely affect the sovereignty of other states and the progress and prosperity of their peoples”.

She stressed, “India reiterates the Assembly’s call to all states to refrain from promulgating and applying, and to repeal and invalidate such laws and measures in conformity with their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and International Law”.

The resolution was adopted with 130 votes in favour, 17 against, and 25 abstentions.

The vote occurred following a tense confrontation on the Assembly floor on Tuesday, during which Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla approached the lectern to challenge US Permanent Representative Mike Waltz mid-address. In response to the disruption, Assembly President Khalilur Rahman briefly halted proceedings to restore order.

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Diplomatic friction escalated further on Wednesday when the United States expelled Richard Tur de la Concepción, First Secretary at the Cuban mission, following allegations that he physically confronted an American diplomat during Tuesday's incident, according to Ambassador Waltz.

Asserting a strict posture, Waltz declared, “If you lay a hand on an American diplomat in this body, there will be consequences,” adding, “That so-called diplomat today will be put on a plane back to Havana.”

The initial altercation occurred while Waltz was speaking to the General Assembly regarding alleged corruption within Cuba’s ruling leadership.

Commenting on the event, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, criticised the breach of protocol during a Wednesday news briefing, stating, “We expect every delegation to respect the decorum of the General Assembly’s hall and to respect the rules and procedures of the General Assembly.”

He added that UN Safety and Security officers were deployed in larger numbers and “did a great job in ensuring that the situation did not get out of hand”.

Reaffirming New Delhi's stance on international affairs, Nair stated, “India’s commitment to multilateralism is rooted in our belief that international challenges are best addressed through dialogue and diplomacy in accordance with the UN Charter”.

“It is in this spirit that India hopes that the embargo will be lifted at the earliest, to help create an environment that would enable the people of Cuba to participate more fully in international cooperation and pursue their legitimate development aspirations,” she added.

Underscoring the humanitarian impact of the economic sanctions, Nair observed that as a result of the restrictions, “Cuba’s health system faces shortages of over 60 per cent of essential medicines, while food production has declined by more than 50 per cent over the past five years”.

She further cautioned that recently tightened restrictions on energy shipments had severely “disrupted essential services, including healthcare, education, water supplies, food distribution and transportation”.

ANI