Brussels, June 3rd, 2020
Esteemed Mr. Secretary-General,
Your Excellency,
I have the honor to address this letter to you, on the occasion of the First Extraordinary Intersessional Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Organization of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), taking place today in our sister Republic of Kenya.
It is well known that my country has always been an active supporter of positions and interests of developing countries in this fora, according to our position in defense of International Law, Multilateralism and in respect of the principles and purposes enshrined by the United Nations Chart.
Furthermore, we have historically privileged all kinds of cooperation with sister nations of this organization and other developing countries, including in the area of healthcare. I can assure you that not only Cuban authorities, but also my Cuban fellow citizens feel really proud of our modest contribution to the efforts of those countries to improve the living standards of their populations. In this regard, our engagement has also been expressed during the fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic, a situation demanding all of our solidarity, shared commitment and international cooperation. These are the main reasons why Cuban authorities accord great importance to the celebration of this First Intersessional Summit.
Unfortunately, as it has been previously informed to you, my country has not been able to participate of this event because of the impossibility to access the ZOOM platform, hosted in the United States. This is a direct consequence of the economic, commercial and financial blockade that we Cubans have endured during the past six decades. As can be seen, the blockade infringes as well the right of Cuba to participate of international virtual fora, given the fact that most of the digital platforms come from the U.S. Therefore, this situation violates the principle of sovereign equality of the States and infringes purposes 2 and 3 of Article 1 of the United Nations Chart.
We strongly denounce this situation, in particular at these times, which require a deeper solidarity to face the pandemic. We are certain that the Cuban people and authorities will count once again on the permanent and unconditional support of the OACP Member States, in demanding the immediate lift of this genocidal policy. The economic, commercial and financial blockade aims to a very old and frustrated objective: to subvert our system by drowning us in economic hardships. It is a shame that blindness and stubbornness keep American authorities from understanding the irreversible decision of the Cuban people to build his own political, economic and social system, in exercise of its free self-determination.
Your Excellency,
Given the importance of this matter, I kindly ask you to circulate this letter amongst the member states of the organization.
While ratifying the permanent will of Cuban authorities to continue to cooperate with the members of the group, and to work on the defense of their interests, I seize this opportunity to reiterate to you the assurances of my highest consideration.
Sincerely,
Norma Goicochea Estenoz
Ambassador