Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez,  presents the annual report
on the impact of the US blockade on the island. October 22, 2020.

Havana, October 22 (RHC)—The US Blockade on Cuba, according to international law, has been a criminal and genocidal act since its inception almost 60 years ago, but its extreme reinforcement and cruelty amid the COVID-19 pandemic has no precedent, said Cuban Foreign Minister.

In presenting on Thursday the annual report on the blockade's impact on the island, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said that estimates of damages surpass the 5 billion dollars.

"From April 2019 through March 2020, the blockade has inflicted losses to Cuba estimated in 5 500 million dollars. This is the first time that the blockade's damages surpass the 5 billion in a year, and that's a very conservative estimate," said the minister.

Since the beginning of the hostile measure, Rodriguez added that Cuba had experienced losses estimated at 144 413 million dollars.

The Cuban minister noted that the new report provides irrefutable evidence of the extent of the aggression on all sectors and that the blockade, especially at this time,  has become an extraordinary limitation to the island'ss procurement of medical equipment.

"For all practical purposes, the blockade means the denial to Cuba of access to medical equipment, supplies, and technologies of US origin, or even third countries technologies that may have a 10 percent of US-made components",  the Foreign Minister argued.

Rodriguez said that no matter who wins the upcoming US presidential election, the winner will have to confront the reality that the blockade policies harm the Cuban people, families, the Cubans residing abroad, and violate their human rights.

"The extraordinary reinforcement of the blockade over the last two years is an expression of the historical incapacity of the US government of acknowledging that Cuba is an independent nation, which is entitled to enjoy and fully exercise its sovereignty and self-determination, according to international law." stressed the Foreign Minister.

The report has already been sent to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.

Due to the complicated epidemiological situation at a global level and particularly in the US, the resolution entitled "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba" will be presented for the twenty-ninth time during the resumed session of the 75th session of the General Assembly, in May 2021.