Cuban Foreign Minister Arrives in New York for UN Vote to End US Embargo

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez arrived in New York City on Tuesday for the UN General Assembly’s vote the following day on the US blockade of Cuba, the Cuban Embassy in the United States said in a message via Twitter.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, The UN General Assembly will gather to vote on a Cuban-sponsored draft resolution aimed to put an end to the economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the United States on the Caribbean island nation.

Tomorrow, the international community will vote vs. the #blockade imposed vs. #Cuba for more than 50 years #CubaUS #MyVoteVsBlockade #USCuba pic.twitter.com/wG1twWFnsz

— Cuban Embassy in US (@EmbaCubaUS) October 25, 2016

​The Cuban government has maintained that the total elimination of the US blockade is an essential step to advancing normalization of bilateral relations between the two countries.

A report by the Cuban government stated that during US President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba in March 2016, he acknowledged that the embargo is obsolete and must be eliminated. Obama also added that the embargo harms Cuban citizens rather than help them, and called on the US Congress to put an end to the existing policy.