United Nations, February 17 (RHC) - Cuba denounced before the U.N. Security Council the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures amid the Covid-19 pandemic, as is the case of the U.S. blockade.

 A statement by the representation of the Caribbean country in the open debate of the Council explains the intensification in recent years of the economic, commercial and financial siege imposed by the U.S. government against Cuba.

According to the statement, this prolonged genocidal mechanism hinders the island's primary sources of income, paralyzes fuel supplies, and hinders trade relations.

The blockade reached a notorious dimension with the arbitrary and unjustified inclusion of Cuba in the spurious list of State sponsors of terrorism, which was drawn up unilaterally and without any legitimacy whatsoever by the U.S. State Department, the text stresses.

Seven months after the adoption of resolution 2532 (2020) in this Council, the pandemic continues as a global challenge that generates a crisis of multiple and devastating effects, not only for health but also for the economy, trade, and societies in general, it points out.

Because of its severe and multidimensional impact, the pandemic represents a threat to peoples' sustainable development and an additional challenge for the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda, underscores the declaration signed by Cuba.

However, it points out, in the deep economic recession that is looming, the countries of the South will be the most affected, especially those suffering the additional burden of criminal unilateral coercive measures, in violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.

According to Cuba's representation to the U.N., it is up to the General Assembly, as the most representative and democratic body of the organization, to assume the central role in coordinating international efforts to confront the pandemic and its consequences.