New York, October 9 (RHC)-- The foreign ministers of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, and Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez, denounced during the Ministerial Meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) the coercive and unilateral measures imposed by the United States on several countries of the block.

The top Venezuelan diplomat said that the application of these measures was illegal, arguing that they are in violation of the UN Charter and prevent the timely and effective access to medical equipment and supplies, food, fuel and other basic services.

Arreaza added that "as a country that promotes peace diplomacy, we call for distension, political dialogue and an immediate ceasefire.  We live in an interconnected world; to defeat the pandemic, we must work collectively and in a coordinated manner, within the framework of an inclusive multilateralism."

For his part, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced that the legitimate right to development of the peoples belonging to the Non-Aligned Movement is limited by the imposition of unilateral coercive measures.

Cuba's foreign minister added that this occurs when the global economic situation is critical and is aggravated by the devastating effects of COVID-19, whose greatest weight falls on the underdeveloped world.

The meeting of the Movement of Non-Aligned Nations was convened this Friday in a virtual format, as is the case with numerous events at the United Nations headquarters in New York, since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.