Dear Ambassador Samuel Moncada,
Dear Ambassadors, members of our Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter,
Puerto Rican friends present here today,
Dear Colleagues:
I am honored to speak today on an issue of great importance to the region, to the members of the Group of Friends of the Charter and to Cuba.
126 years ago, on July 25th, the United States of America intervened in Puerto Rico. However, so many years of colonial rule have not been enough to take away from the people of Puerto Rico their culture, identity and national sentiment. As we all know, the fraternal Puerto Rican people have a deep-rooted and unwavering call for independence.
There are now 42 resolutions or decisions adopted by the Special Committee on Decolonization on the Colonial Question of Puerto Rico. Each and every one of these resolutions and decisions has reaffirmed the inalienable right of the people of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence, in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV).
The resolution we adopted last June during the session of the Decolonization Committee emphasizes that the right to self-determination in Puerto Rico requires the transfer of powers without conditions or reservations, rejecting the imposition of the laws and regulations of the metropolis and the economic and political subordination inherent in colonialism, which could influence the electoral and consultative processes in such a way as to undermine the people's ability to make a truly free decision based on their well-being and interests.
Despite the many efforts of the Special Committee and the repeated pronouncements of political consultation mechanisms such as the Non-Aligned Movement and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the people of Puerto Rico continue to fail to exercise their legitimate right to genuine self-determination.
On the contrary, the United States of America, the colonial power, is trying by all means to consolidate its economic, political and social domination over this sister people of Latin America and the Caribbean.
With the imposition of the misnamed Fiscal Oversight Board, a product of the so-called PROMESA Act, instead of initiating a process that would allow the people of Puerto Rico to fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence, the U.S. processes in Puerto Rico are going in the opposite direction, that is, they are leading to the intensification of its colonial subordination.
The final resolution of Puerto Ricos fate is not an internal matter of the United States, but a matter for the Special Committee on Decolonization, the United Nations General Assembly and the entire international community.
Cuba has a historic commitment to the self-determination and independence of the brotherly people of Puerto Rico, who will always count on our solidarity and commitment to continue defending their legitimate right to self-determination and independence.
I conclude by saying, as our brothers on the Island say: Enough of promises!
Thank you