India votes at UN against US embargo on Cuba

India rejects laws affecting national sovereignty; votes at UN against US embargo on Cuba

New York, October 29

Addressing the Assembly prior to the vote, Soumya Nair, a counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, stated that New Delhi endorses the global body's appeal urging all nations 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 emphasised, "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 measure was passed with 130 votes in favour, 17 against and 25 abstentions. The vote followed a tense diplomatic clash on the Assembly floor on Tuesday, during which Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla approached the dais to challenge US Permanent Representative Mike Waltz mid-speech.

In response to the disruption, Assembly President Khalilur Rahman briefly suspended the proceedings to restore order in the chamber.

The diplomatic friction persisted on Wednesday when the US expelled Richard Tur de la Concepcion, First Secretary of the Cuban mission, over allegations that he physically engaged with an American diplomat during the previous day's altercation, according to Ambassador Waltz.

Asserting a zero-tolerance policy, Waltz stated, "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 confrontation had initially erupted while Waltz was addressing the General Assembly regarding alleged corruption within Cuba's leadership.

Commenting on the incident, UN Secretary-General António Guterres' spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, condemned the breach of protocol during his Wednesday 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 personnel had been deployed in greater numbers and "did a great job in ensuring that the situation did not get out of hand".

Reaffirming New Delhi's foreign policy stance, Nair noted, "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.

Highlighting the humanitarian toll of the trade restrictions, Nair pointed out that due to the embargo, "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 warned that recently tightened curbs on fuel shipments had severely "disrupted essential services, including healthcare, education, water supplies, food distribution and transportation".

— ANI