Mr. President:
Cuba’s delegation endorses the statement delivered by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations.
The international rule of law is an essential pillar of multilateralism and an indispensable condition for peace, security and peaceful coexistence among nations. It requires above all, strict respect for the Charter of the United Nations, whose principles and purposes in addition to remain valid, are also particularly relevant in todays’ challenging international context.
Today we are witnessing a worrying erosion of the rule of law at the international level, characterized by the violation of the norms, the use or threat of use of force, the unilateral coercive measures and the systematic disregard for international organizations and for decisions adopted in multilateral frameworks.
The United States’ government has publicly stated that it does not respect the International Law and has demonstrated that it will impose its interests at the global level, including via the military power. It invades countries, violates borders, airspace, freedom of trade and navigation, it issues unilateral certifications, it engages in acts of piracy and state terrorism and conducts military operations beyond its jurisdiction, threatening the sovereignty of all states. This poses a challenge to the entire international community. The threat is global.
Such practices violate the principles of peaceful coexistence among the states, undermine the credibility of international institutions and pose a serious threat to peace and international security.
The respect of the principle of good faith, enshrined in the Article 2 of the UN Charter and developed in the 2625 resolution of the General Assembly about the friendship and cooperation relations among the states is not optional. States should not invoke international law when they deem it relevant and violate it with impunity when it conflicts with their political or geostrategic interests.
We reaffirm that the prohibition of the use of force and the peaceful settlement of disputes must remain cornerstones of the international system. Likewise, the sovereign equality of States and the right of peoples to self-determination are inalienable principles of international law. No State has the prerogative to impose political, economic, or social models on others, nor to intervene directly or indirectly in their internal affairs. Unilateral coercive measures and arbitrary lists, which have no basis in international law, constitute flagrant violations of these principles.
In this context, Cuba reiterates its strongest condemnation of the United States' military aggression against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, a criminal act that violates international law and the UN Charter, as well as the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro Moros and his wife Cilia Flores by the US government.
We condemn the strengthening of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba and the additional extreme measures, as well as the clear intentions and public threats of aggression against Cuba by the United States government. We have demonstrated that we have the capacity to defend our independence and sovereignty. We trust in the conscience of the international community and in its capacity to mobilize to oppose aggression such as this.
The United States government's warmongering escalation is a revival of its expansionist imperial ambitions. With its aggression and threats, particularly against the nations of Latin America, the United States is attempting to reimpose by force the discredited Monroe Doctrine, in clear violation of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, in order to subjugate the peoples and governments of the region to its domination. This undermines the notion of the rule of law at the international level.
At the same time, the US government has decided to quit spaces and institutions created to promote international law, sustainable development, gender equality, biodiversity, the fight against climate change, and the fight against racism. Meanwhile, it seeks to create selective organizations that respond solely to its imperial interests of imposing peace by force and increasing its military spending to sustain its threats of tariffs, use of force, and military interventions, in clear disregard for multilateralism, the United Nations Charter, and international law.
Mr. President:
The international rule of law requires genuine cooperation and solidarity, geared towards sustainable development, social justice, and the elimination of the deep inequalities that persist between countries. Lasting peace is impossible without development, and development itself cannot be achieved in the absence of peace.
We emphasize that full respect for the UN Charter and the norms of international law, as well as the defense of multilateralism, are as urgent as they are essential today.
The rule of international law requires real political will and the abandonment of double standards and politicization in international relations. There is also an urgent need for a new international order that is fair, democratic, and equitable, one that places human dignity and our very survival at its core.
Thank you very much.