Statement by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla at the Security Council’s open debate on 'Defending the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the[...]

Statement by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla at the Security Council's open debate on "Defending the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the international system centered on the UN", New York, 26 May 2026

Mr. President, distinguished permanent representatives:

We highly value the leadership of the People's Republic of China in defending international peace and security, observance of international law; preservation, strengthening and appropriate reform of the United Nations Organization, particularly democratization, transparency and effectiveness of the Security Council and empowerment of the General Assembly; as well as in building a multilateral international order, based on sovereign, fair and democratic equality.

Proofs of this are the global initiatives promoted by President Xi Jinping, which we support, to address today's challenges through genuine multilateral cooperation. The convening of this open debate also proves it.

On September 26, 1960, at the UN General Assembly, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz said: "Let the philosophy of plunder disappear, and the philosophy of war will have disappeared!" We remember him vividly in the year of his centenary.

Mr. President:

How do we refer to defending the central role of the United Nations, promoting peace and development, safeguarding the international order based on international law and basic norms in international relations, in order to avoid new conflicts, where the strong prevail over the weak; not to mention genocide against Palestine or imperialist aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and war in the Middle East?

The U.S. government, in fact, is in a position of undermining international peace and security and violating international law and humanitarian law with respect to the Republic of Cuba.

The initiation of criminal charges against the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz is a morally infamous and legally arbitrary act for abuse of the jurisdiction of the American courts, for the manipulation of the site of the downing of aircraft that occurred in the air and sea space of Cuban territory; for the terrorist and illegal missions that they frequently carried out, in violation of U.S. laws, for the impunity and complicity of the authorities of that country and for disregarding the right to self-defense of States.

It is a politically motivated, fraudulent decision aimed at deceiving US and foreign citizens 30 years after the events, with the vile purpose of supporting a military adventure against Cuba to achieve "regime change" or "nation-building.", as they euphemistically call it now.

The oil or energy blockade imposed by the US on Cuba amounts to a naval blockade, which is an act of war and genocide that subjects the Cuban population to conditions that threaten its integrity and existence and constitutes cruel and indiscriminate "collective punishment" which now causes deaths, as reflected in the doubling of the infant mortality rate from 4.0 to 9.2 per 1,000 live births or the reduction of the life expectancy of children with cancer from 85% to 65%.

A military aggression would result in a bloodbath. Thousands of Cubans would die defending the homeland and sacred values and reasons, and young Americans would perish too, with no cause or ideal to defend, dragged into violence by an imperialist, neo-fascist policy of domination, plunder and conquest.

I am addressing, in particular, American citizens, especially their young people, and appealing to their human values, their pacifist and noble sentiments, asking them to seek the truth and not allow themselves to be deceived or manipulated by a corrupt and powerful elite clique in Miami, not representative of the American people nor of the Cubans living in this country, who are overwhelmingly opposed to the barbarism of war and energy blockade.

The president who gave that order of military attack, and the secretary of state and war who incited him to do so, would go down in history as war criminals, direct perpetrators of crimes against humanity. No justification can be adduced for an aggression or inhumane coercive acts similar to that by its humanitarian impact. Let Cuba live in peace!

For more than six decades, the US government has fabricated pretexts to try to justify its criminal behavior. They have used the absurd argument of presenting the small but symbolic island as a supposed threat to the nuclear superpower's national security, an idea that defies logic and common sense, in addition to relying on utterly mendacious claims and insinuations.

As President Miguel Díaz-Canel has reiterated, Cuba is not and cannot be a threat. It is not an enemy of the United States, nor does he want to be one, despite significant differences with its government. Cuba has deep and fraternal ties with the American people and culture. We will continue to welcome with warmth and hospitality American travelers, even if their freedoms are restricted by their government; and their entrepreneurs and companies with competitive projects to participate, without any discrimination, in our economic development, even if the blockage hinders it.

However, now a corrupt and immoral plutocracy is invoking the legend of our government's incompetence and supposed corruption and the supposed danger of "humanitarian crisis" as justification for foreign intervention. This is cynically said by the executioner himself, who in a cold, wicked and deliberate manner causes with his actions devastating effects, as they would cause in any country of the world, regardless of its economic potential, level of development or the nature of its political system.

Despite the lack of progress and goodwill, the lack of seriousness and coherence on the US side, we remain willing to continue talks; address bilateral issues without interference in our internal affairs, political system, or elections; and seek forms of civilized behavior and multifaceted cooperation, particularly in matters of terrorism, drug trafficking, transnational organized crime, regular and safe migration, human trafficking, mutual economic compensation and others.

This is an unprecedented and unjustified unilateral aggression. Through intimidation and "secondary" sanctions, applicable to third parties, the US government seeks to force all states to participate, against their will, in its heinous policies against Cuba, which will not happen.

I call on the international community to mobilize in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe that could be imposed, whether by means of arms or through energy encirclement and extreme tightening of the blockade, which also kill and cause suffering.

I call on Latin America and the Caribbean to act to preserve their status as a Zone of Peace and avoid adverse consequences that would destabilize the region. It is time for a broad international articulation, above political differences, ideological approaches, historical disagreements, to set limits and prevent the excesses that threaten and damage national interests, peoples and sovereign prerogatives of all states.

The Global South should fight for it and collectively protect itself from retaliation, in collective voice and action, and in mutual cooperation. I ask humbly: the time has come for solidarity with Cuba, which it has always been with everyone, without ever having stopped at risks, sometimes deadly; neither in interests nor material scarcity.

I cannot find a way to refer to the defense of the central role of the United Nations and the promotion of peace and development and the primary responsibility of the Security Council in maintaining international peace and security and its contribution to dialogue and the promotion of political solutions; without asking this Security Council to, realistically, at least try to fulfill its primary and supreme mandate regarding the military threat and energy blockade against Cuba; nor can I refrain from encouraging the United Nations General Assembly that, in any case, use with determination its extensive and decisive powers, its moral, legal, and democratic authority that the peoples have conferred upon it, in the situation of Cuba.

No one doubts that, at a moment that we hope will never happen, the people of Cuba will fight to the last consequence.

Our Homeland or death, we shall overcome!

Thank you very much.

Source

• MINREX

Tags

• Cuba
• UN Security Council
• United States
• US agression threats

Categories

• Ministro
• Cuba en los Organismos Internacionales y Regionales
• Discursos del Canciller cubano

Relaciones Bilaterales

• ONU