In a passionate speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, St. Vincent and the Grenadine Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves gave a strong plea for the United States to normalize relationships with Cuba, and described the decades of alienation as “hemispheric fracture” that do not benefit anyone.
With a growing international mood, Gonsalves noticed that the time has come to end the embargo and promote a relationship based on mutual respect, international law and the common interests of both nations.
“It is long overdue for the broken relationship between the United States of America and Cuba,” he said, emphasizing the need for peace, security and shared prosperity in the region.
The general assembly has repeatedly asked the United States to raise the embargo.
St. Vincent and the grenadines, which maintain both bilateral relationships with both the USA and Cuba, is in a unique position to understand the complexity of the situation.
“My country has excellent bilateral relationships with the USA and Cuba. It hurts us very much to see our friends and neighbors in such a state of extreme dissonance,” said the prime minister.
The Caribbean Prime Minister made the willingness of the Caribbean community (Caricom) to facilitate the dialogue and offered the services of the region as an intermediary. “We in Caricom are ready to act as a healing balm of Gilead,” he announced, signaling a proactive approach to bridging the gap.
The US embargo against Cuba, which was originally imposed in 1960 and later strengthened, has been a defining characteristic of the relationship between the two nations for over six decades. The embargo, which is rooted in American possession of the Cuban government on tensions of the Cold War and the nationalization of real estate, has a profound influence on the Cuban economy and its population. While there were periods of simple restrictions, especially under the Obama government, the overall policy remains largely.
The tribute of the embargo
- Estimated economic costs for Cuba: Over 130 billion US dollars (source: Cuban government)
- For years, the UN general assembly has largely voted to condemn the embargo: Almost 30 years in a row.