Havana, Jun 13 (ACN) Cuban Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade and Investment Deborah Rivas denounced in Geneva the economic and social impact of the US blockade against her country.
Addressing the 12th World Trade Organization Ministerial Meeting, the Cuban officials said that over the past 6 decades the US siege has inflicted damaged calculated at more than 150.4 billion dollars.
Cuban economy is small and vulnerable, not only for its scarce participation at world trade and its insular condition, but also for the direct consequences derived from the US blockade, Rivas said.
US sanctions against Cuba constitute the biggest hurdle to free unfolding of trade relations with the world and the main obstacle of the island’s development, the Cuban representative noted.
As an example of the impact by the US blockade, the official recalled that from January to July 2021 the effect of the US siege on the island’s foreign trade translated into 923 million 829 thousand dollars, as well as by the intimidation of banks, companies and business people who were willing to do business with Cuba.
On its official Twitter account, the Cuban Foreign Trade Ministry denounced that the US blockade was unprecedentedly strengthened under the COVID-19 pandemic in what was considered an open violation of the principles and norms of the multilateral trade system.
The deputy minister said that the US blockade runs against the goals and objectives of the World Trade Organization since it damages the development of nations, undermines free trade in the benefit of the people and it must be rejected.