‘It’s time for a frank conversation on Cuba & an end to the embargo’ – Pres. Ali tells UNGA

In his address to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, President Dr. Irfaan Ali posited that the time has come for a frank and forward-looking conversation on Cuba.

“At 80, the time has come for a frank conversation on Cuba, one that would lead to the prosperity of its people, optimising the full potential Cuba offers to its people and the rest of the world. Central to this dialogue is a lifting of the embargo on Cuba and its removal from the list as a State sponsor of terrorism,” President Ali said.

His call comes on the heels of a growing international consensus and a renewed wave of appeals from global leaders urging the United States to reconsider its longstanding policy toward Cuba.

Over the past year, voices from across Latin America, the Caribbean, the European Union, and the United Nations have intensified their criticism of the economic embargo, citing its devastating impact on the Cuban people and its failure to achieve any meaningful political change.

These calls have been accompanied by increasing demands for Cuba’s removal from the US list of State sponsors of terrorism, a designation widely viewed as politically motivated and harmful to the island’s access to international finance and development support.

Last year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted an overwhelming resolution demanding the US end its economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba, registering 187 votes in favour, with only the US and Israel opposed, and one abstention.