During a high-level regional diplomatic forum held in St. John’s this week, Cuban Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean, H.E. Jorge Luis Mayo, delivered a strong statement lauding the unwavering collective support from Caribbean nations in the decades-long global campaign to end the United States’ unilateral economic, commercial, and financial embargo against Cuba. The ambassador’s remarks came shortly after the latest annual United Nations General Assembly non-binding resolution calling for an immediate end to the 62-year-old U.S. embargo, a measure that has been overwhelmingly endorsed by the global community for over 30 consecutive years. Notably, this year’s vote saw Antigua and Barbuda, a longstanding CARICOM member state, register no formal vote on the resolution, marking an unusual departure from the Caribbean bloc’s long-held unified stance of co-sponsoring and backing the anti-embargo measure. Ambassador Mayo emphasized that even with the unrecorded vote from Antigua and Barbuda, the broader Caribbean region’s consistent advocacy for Cuba’s sovereignty and against coercive unilateral sanctions remains a cornerstone of regional diplomatic solidarity, noting that Caribbean nations have repeatedly raised the humanitarian harms of the U.S. embargo at multiple multilateral bodies, including the Organization of American States. The ambassador also highlighted that the embargo’s ongoing restrictions continue to impede Cuba’s access to critical medical supplies, agricultural imports, and digital infrastructure, disproportionately impacting the daily livelihoods of ordinary Cuban citizens. Representatives from Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have since clarified that the no-vote status was the result of an administrative procedural oversight during the UNGA voting session, rather than a deliberate shift in the country’s longstanding policy opposing the U.S. embargo on Cuba, and confirmed that the nation remains fully committed to CARICOM’s collective position on the matter.
Cuban Ambassador Praises Caribbean Support Against US Embargo as Antigua and Barbuda Records No Vote
