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Russia’s upper house calls on US to lift its economic blockade of Cuba

The US blockade against Cuba has maintained since 1960

MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, passed a statement on Wednesday calling on the United States to end its economic blockade against Cuba, which it has maintained since 1960.

The senators urged Washington to "stop the vicious economic and political pressure on the Republic of Cuba, lift its trade, economic, financial and maritime blockade without any preconditions, and bring to an end the attempts to violate the sovereignty of the Republic of Cuba and meddle into its domestic affairs."

The upper house also calls on the General Assembly of the United Nations, and the parliaments of UN member-states and international parliamentary organizations to take decisive steps aimed at ending Washington’s blockade of the Caribbean country.

Read also

State Duma calls on UN General Assembly to denounce US blockade of Cuba

The statement says that the Federation Council expresses solidarity with Cuba, "a friendly and peace-loving nation, an influential state that has a constructive role in global affairs" and is deeply outraged by the continuing blockade.

"The continued anti-Cuban discourse in the US leadership is a threat to international security. Time has shown that the arrogant style of dealing with the Republic of Cuba is doomed to failure," the document says.

The years-long blockade of Cuba has not attained the goals of changing its political and economic model, and has not forced the Cuban people to drop plans of fighting for independence, sovereignty and the chosen track of development, it says.

All members of the international community, including the US, should respect this choice, the senators stress. "Unilateral sanctions against sovereign states as a way to punish them for carrying out their domestic and foreign policy independently from Washington are illegal and therefore unacceptable."

The Federation Council earlier adopted similar statements on lifting the blockade of Cuba, and last time this document was passed in October 2016.

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