The Cuban ambassador to France, Otto Vaillant, denounced today at a press conference in Paris the impact of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade against the island and its extraterritorial reach.
The diplomat addressed the economic and human consequences of more than 60 years of siege, which he described as genocidal for its objective of suffocating an entire country, on the eve of the beginning of discussions in the UN General Assembly on a new draft of resolution demanding the end of the blockade.
Accompanied by the ambassador to UNESCO, Yahima Esquivel, Vaillant commented that last year Cuba’s Gross Domestic Product would have grown by 9% if it were not for Washington’s permanent aggression. In that sense, he warned that the island suffers damage estimated at 405 million dollars every month, more than 13 million a day.
In his explanations, he also referred to the extraterritorial nature of the blockade and the damage it also causes to companies and banks in other countries, which Washington puts pressure on, a reality that French entities interested in having ties with Cuba are dealing with.
The Cuban ambassador to France expressed his expectations that once again the international community on November 1 and 2 will raise its voice at the United Nations General Assembly against the siege.
Since 1992, the multilateral organization has been the scene of a forceful rejection of the blockade, accompanied by thirty resolutions on the need to end it, initiatives similar to the one that will be presented tomorrow in New York.
