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CARACAS, October 30. /TASS/. Venezuela lauds the results of the UN General Assembly voting on lifting the US decades-long blockade of Cuba, Venezuelan foreign ministry said. "The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela congratulates Cuba’s heroic people, government, President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez and [Cuban revolutionary leader] Army General Raul Castro Ruz on the convincing victory won at the UN General Assembly, which demanded, for the 33rd time in a row since 1992, that the US illegal and criminal blockade be lifted immediately," it said in a statement that was posted on Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto’s Telegram channel. "The voting results indicate that Washington’s mechanism of blackmailing, economic warfare, state terrorism and pressure has failed to get the upper hand over global conscience and compel the free people to surrender," the statement says. The Venezuelan foreign ministry demanded "an immediate, complete and unconditional lifting of the blockade, ending all coercive measures and removing unilateral sanctions against Cuba." On Wednesday, the United Nations General Assembly adopted yet another resolution calling on the United States to remove economic, commercial and financial sanctions against Cuba. The document was supported by 165 countries, including Russia and Belarus. The United States, Argentina, Hungary, Israel, Paraguay, North Macedonia and Ukraine voted against, while 12 countries abstained. Besides calling for the lifting of economic restrictions, the resolution requires the UN secretary general to prepare a report on its implementation. UN General Assembly resolutions are not binding. The United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 following the nationalization of American property in that country. After that, Washington imposed a trade and economic embargo on Cuba. In December 2014, US President Barack Obama admitted that the Washington’s former policy towards Havana was not working and announced plans to move towards normalization of bilateral ties and mitigation of the anti-Cuban sanctions. Diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba were resumed on July 20, 2015. But the process of normalization was suspended after Donald Trump took the presidential office in January 2017. He toughened the trip procedures for US citizens and imposed a ban on doing business with organizations controlled by the Cuban military. The Cuban authorities blame economic problems in the country on the blockade and demand it be lifted. Russia traditionally supports Cuba’s demand.
