Cuba warns against ‘law of the jungle’ as Foreign Minister denounces US pressure
Cuba’s Foreign Minister accused the United States of escalating pressure on Cuba, warning at the UN that such actions undermine international law and threaten the UN Charter’s principles.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla told the UN General Assembly that rising military and economic pressure in Latin America and the Caribbean was eroding international law, including the UN Charter’s principle of sovereign equality. He described an alarming increase in expansionism, usurpation, and aggression, calling for the United Nations to become more democratic, effective, and closer to the peoples it serves. Rodríguez Parrilla emphasized that fundamental principles of the UN system were under sustained attack.
Rodríguez Parrilla accused the United States of intensifying a decades-long campaign to isolate Cuba, including imposing what he termed an 'energy blockade.' He said Washington was intimidating countries against exporting fuel to Cuba and restricting goods and services, leaving over 7,000 containers stranded in ports, including shipments of food, medicines, and medical equipment already paid for by Cuban private companies. The Foreign Minister also alleged US pressure on foreign investors, restrictions on tourism, and efforts to end Cuban medical professionals’ overseas healthcare programs.
The Cuban Foreign Minister described the impact of US policies as 'collective punishment' against the Cuban people, rejecting claims that Cuba posed a threat to US national security. He argued that Washington’s actions aimed to undermine Cuban sovereignty and called for dialogue based on sovereign equality, respect for international law, and non-interference. Rodríguez Parrilla also highlighted Cuba’s plans for 'profound transformations' in its economic and social model to address current challenges while maintaining its constitutional framework and socialist system.
Rodríguez Parrilla rejected the Monroe Doctrine and any attempts at militarization or intervention in Latin America and the Caribbean, reaffirming the region’s 2014 proclamation as a Zone of Peace. He expressed solidarity with Small Island Developing States facing climate change, reiterated support for Nicaragua and Puerto Rican self-determination, and backed reparations for African and Caribbean nations for colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade. He warned that a world dominated by coercion and intimidation was unsustainable and urged restoring the UN’s role.