At the United Nations General Assembly plenary session commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations, paid an emotional tribute to the victims of that devastating conflict and reaffirmed his country's firm commitment to peace, multilateralism and the sovereignty of peoples.
In his speech, the Cuban Ambassador recalled the enormous human cost of the war and acknowledged the decisive role of the Soviet people in the defeat of Nazism, as well as that of the Allied forces and resistance movements around the world. "Not even the most deadly military power can defeat a united people determined to uphold dignity and morality," he said.
He also highlighted the contribution of the Cuban people to the anti-fascist struggle, highlighting the mobilization of solidarity through the National Anti-Fascist Front, the participation of volunteers in the Spanish Civil War and the sacrifice of Cuban merchant mariners during the war.
The diplomat warned of current dangers reminiscent of the causes of global conflict, such as the rise of extremist ideologies, the use of military power for geopolitical purposes and the imposition of unilateral coercive measures contrary to international law. "It is our duty to speak out and defend international peace and security at all costs," he declared.
In this context, he strongly condemned the genocide being perpetrated by Israel, with the support of the US government, against the Palestinian people, calling it a "new and abhorrent form of fascism". He reiterated his support for a just and lasting solution to the conflict based on the creation of two states, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.
Soberón Guzmán also drew attention to the alarming increase in global military spending, driven by warmongering rhetoric, and reiterated the urgency of nuclear disarmament as a sine qua non for lasting peace.
"Let us globalize unity, solidarity and international cooperation in the face of selfishness, wars and blockades," concluded the Permanent Representative of Cuba, advocating a more just, democratic and equitable international order.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations