UNITED NATIONS, November 2. /TASS/. The United States seeks to turn its illegitimate unilateral sanctions into a tool to make its opponents bend to its will, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said at a UN General Assembly meeting on a draft resolution on lifting the US embargo on Cuba on Wednesday.

"Washington is trying to make the notorious Monroe Doctrine global and turn its illegitimate unilateral sanctions into a tool to make its opponents obey its will," he pointed out. "Cuba is a vivid example showing the viciousness of the harmful practices that the US employs solely to achieve its selfish short-term goals, while ignoring not only the geopolitical situation but also basic moral principles," Nebenzya added.

"We view this illegal practice as nothing but a challenge to the entire system of international relations, which undermines the foundations of global and regional stability, and an attempt to depict restrictions as normal international communication," the Russian envoy went on to say. "In fact, it is economic terrorism. We believe that the UN secretary general, who is mandated to facilitate the implementation of the UN General Assembly’s decisions, should pay special attention to this issue," he noted.

Nebenzya stressed that Russia had been consistently opposing illegal US measures against Cuba. "Together with the overwhelming majority of the international community, Russia continues to firmly and consistently call for an immediate lifting of the illegitimate blockade of Cuba," he added.