Mr. President:
First and foremost, please accept Cuba's congratulations on your election as President of the Council. We are well aware of your great diplomatic skill and professionalism, which we are certain will allow you to effectively lead the Council's work in a challenging international context.
You can always count, Mr. President, on the support of the Cuban delegation, and we wish you and your team every success.
The Cuban delegation wishes to state for the record that the Republic of Ecuador's candidacy for one of the Vice-Presidencies of the Human Rights Council does not have the consensus of the Regional Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) nor the support of Cuba.
In this context, our delegation disassociates itself from the Council's decision regarding this candidacy.
The representative of our region at the Bureau must be a country that demonstrates, with transparency and consistency, a commitment to sovereignty, mutual respect among States, and the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.
This premise is even more urgent following the illegal and unacceptable military aggression by the United States government against Venezuela, and the arbitrary detention and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Cuba condemns these acts in the strongest terms, as they violate the UN Charter and International Law.
This Council cannot remain silent nor allow human rights to be manipulated to violate International Law.
This criminal military intervention must be condemned without reservation, the immediate and unconditional release of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife must be demanded, and the illegitimate aspirations of imperialist domination by the United States government must be confronted with determination.
Thank you very much.