Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba “illegal” and condemned the island’s inclusion on the list of terrorism state sponsors, Reuters informed.
Former US President Donald Trump has placed Cuba on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. Despite the Biden administration reversing other decisions by the former president, Cuba still remains on the list.
At the opening of the G77 summit of developing countries in the capital Havana, Lula called Cuba a victim of the illegal economic embargo and expressed support for the island nation.
Cuba has been an advocate of fairer global governance. And to this day it is the victim of an illegal economic embargo. Brazil is against any unilateral coercive measure. We reject Cuba’s inclusion on the list of states sponsoring terrorism.
In his speech, Lula also called for investments promised by developed countries to reduce the impact of climate change. He pointed out that the Paris Agreement had never been fulfilled. The president said the contribution of developing countries to climate change is not as great as the contribution of rich nations to global warming.
The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities remains valid. That is why all developing countries must be guaranteed climate funds, according to their needs and priorities.
Cuba had earlier expressed concern over the listing and the economic embargo imposed by Washington during the Cold War era. The European Union, the country’s main trading partner, has also repeatedly rejected the trade embargo. Havana, along with critics of economic sanctions, say the embargo hampers access to food, medicine and other vital goods needed for development.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Lula’s remarks.
The White House stated US law provided exemptions and authorisations for the export of food, medicine and other humanitarian goods to the island.
