US Must Lift Trade Embargo to Fully Normalize Relations With Cuba

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — The trade embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba must be lifted in order to fully normalize relations between the two countries, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

“This has not been in any way modified, the pace of the process toward the normalization of relations between the governments of the United States and Cuba will depend on the lifting of the blockade,” Rodriguez stated.

“Since the blockade is a tangible reality that has not been modified, on October 27, the Cuban delegation will present to the General Assembly of the UN the draft resolution entitled: ‘Necessity of Ending The Economic, Commercial, and Financial Blockade Imposed by The United States of America Against Cuba,’” Rodriguez also said.

The US trade embargo, Rodriguez explained, continues to violate already established trade and navigation laws.

"It is a violation of the universally accepted regulations governing international trade and freedom of navigation," Rodriguez said. "[I]t is also a flagrant violation of international law as well as the principles and purposes established by the UN Charter."

The United States imposed an embargo on Cuba in 1961 during the Cold War because of antagonism between Washington and the communist government in Havana.